


Angel

by Teddygrahams



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anal Sex, Anxiety Disorder, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Costume Kink, Daddy Kink, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Gay Sex, Hydra (Marvel), Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Lesbian Sex, M/M, Multi, Nightmares, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Oral Sex, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Praise Kink, Protective Avengers, Rough Sex, Scars, Sexual Fantasy, Shower Sex, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Stucky - Freeform, Threesome - F/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2018-08-08 20:41:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 30,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7772608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teddygrahams/pseuds/Teddygrahams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was anomaly to have more than one soulmate. Anomaly Kira "Angel" Stevens had six. Hidden away by her parents until she's kidnapped at age ten, she has more things to worry about than the six unknown soulmates...until she starts meeting them and she realizes they are her only chance at freedom. Adjusting to life with the Avengers is tough, but she has six loving, caring, protective soulmates to look out for her and save her from her inner demons that come to haunt her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The previous author of this story has given me permission to add, change, and/or expand on this story as much as I want. 
> 
> Original Work: Angel by MissSkyeOakenshield

It was a cloudy Saturday night, the air brisk despite it being early Spring. It was nearing midnight, and the streets were surprisingly empty. Missing night owls and those celebrating the weekend. That just made it easier for Steve Rogers to make his way through the streets. He’d been having trouble sleeping, so he decided to take a stroll. Something he did often with Bucky back when they’d first found him and he was still struggling. Not to say he wasn’t struggling now, but things had certainly improved in the two years that he’d been at the tower.

Steve walked their usual route, past bars, clubs, even a gentleman’s club right at the point where the route would turn, heading back towards the tower. The Office was what it was called. It sat on the corner, squished between a deli and a real estate office on a street otherwise full of apartment buildings. He remembered when it had opened, not long after he’d found Bucky. They’d been past it opening night, the heavy thump of the bass and the pungent smell of alcohol rough on their heightened senses.

Steve thought this would a normal, quiet night as he turned the corner, heading towards the club. But Fate had other ideas.

 

Every person in the world has a soulmate. Someone hand picked for them, specially crafted for their liking, and vice versa. And every person had a mark on their body, the first words their soulmate would speak to them, tattooed right on the skin by nature. Some were born with them, others developed them during childhood, when their soulmate was born. Some people went years without finding their soulmates, some found them in their childhood. But regardless, Fate had a funny way of throwing soulmates together.

The Office was slow for a Saturday night. It was fairly popular in the area, known for having only the best entertainment. The owner of the bar, and the building it sat in, Mr. Case was working the bar that night, wanting to keep an eye on the crowd, and the dancers. Especially one.

Angel was one of his best employees. He put her front and center for a reason. She was the first one patrons saw when they walked in, and some never made it past her. But she was also his most problematic employee. She had a big mouth and a big attitude. But some men were into that, and paid extra for a private show.

He got a call around eleven, the unusually slow bar still in motion despite the lack of patrons.

“The Office, this is Mr. Case.”

‘Blue is in motion.’

“Good. I’ll see you soon.”

He hung up the phone, going back to washing and drying shot glasses. He didn’t blink when the man entered the bar, sauntering over to him.

“Scotch on the rocks, please, Mr. Case.”

“Take it easy tonight, David.” Mr. Case said, pouring David his drink.

David didn’t say anything, just grabbed his drink, making a beeline for Angel. Angel didn’t pay him any mind as he sat at her table, watching her as she danced. Angel was getting good at ignoring problem customers, and he was definitely one of those.

“Hey honey, you wanna get out of here?” He smirked, watching as Angel flaunted her best assets.

“Can’t. I’m working.” She said, twirling past him on the pole.

“I think I can wait here until closing. Enjoy the show. It’ll be worth the wait.”

Angel smirked, sauntering over to him before kneeling down so her breasts were near his face. “Hmm. I’m sorry baby. That’s not really my thing.”

“I can change that.” He said, his eyes never leaving her breasts.

“I’m sure you can. But you can find someone who’s actually interested on the street corner.”

He slammed his hands down on the table, standing to his feet. He glared at her as she continued dancing, a smirk on her face. He stormed away from the table to the bar.

“You better teach your strippers how to watch their mouths. I don’t know why you bother keeping ‘Angel’ around if she causes so many problems for you.”

“She makes me money.” Mr. Case said simply. “You, on the other hand, do not. So there’s the door, or I call the police.”

David growled angrily before stomping to the door, making a show about leaving, but no one was paying attention to him. They had more important things to watch.

“Angel.” Mr. Case called, getting the dancer’s attention.

She climbed down off the table, clunking over to the bar with as much grace as a girl in platform heels that had been in them for three hours could manage. “Yes, Mr. Case?”

“Go home. It’s too slow, and the other girls can manage.”

Angel nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Case.” Inside she was more than happy to be able to get out of the uncomfortable, revealing clothing.

 

 

When Steve Rogers was eight years old he met his soulmate. He had been born with his words on his left shoulder: “You’re a right out little punk, aren’t ya?” His mother wasn’t impressed. “A woman, speaking like that?” She’d said. She always pictured his soulmate being some uneducated, cavewoman. But Fate, again, decided to throw a curveball.

He had been getting beaten up on the playground, like he usually did, when the new kid in his class intervened, beating his bulley to a pulp. He was bigger than Steve, but most kids his age were. He’d heard his name somewhere...James, he thought. When he’d gotten rid of the bully, he turned back to Steve. He had dark chocolate hair and the prettiest blue eyes he’d ever seen.

“You’re a right out little punk, aren’t ya?” Steve had nearly had a heart attack. He was filled with a giddy kind of excitement, his heart literally pumping out of his chest.

He had to take a moment to catch his breath, his asthma catching up to him. “I had ‘em on the ropes, jerk.”

James’ face had turned from a smug grin, to a shocked, open mouthed stare. The same giddy excitement filled him at hearing his words, the two quickly becoming the best of friends. As they grew older, the more they learned about soulmates, and they were forced to keep their relationship a secret. Because, despite being soulmates, their relationship was frowned upon in their time. Steve’s mother knew, and Bucky’s parents knew, but beyond that, everyone just thought they were close friends. Which they were.

When Steve had come out of the ice, 70 years later, he was surprised to find there was another mark on his skin. “Oh god. It’s you.” Tattooed on his right shoulder. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, it could have been good or bad. When the aliens attacked, and The Avengers were formed, the thought was pushed to the back of his mind, and still after he found out Bucky was alive, the thought hadn’t reached him that there was another person out there made just for him.

After he and Sam had found Bucky, he realized Bucky had another set of words on his skin as well. “And I know yours.” Marked the skin on his right forearm. He knew he and Bucky shared a soulmate. They both felt complete having each other again, but they also felt like there was something missing. A third piece to their puzzle. And it was just finding that piece that was the struggle.

 

Having more than one soulmate was rare. Sure there were some that had two, but any more than that was an anomaly. The modified flesh screens kept the words hidden while she worked, but any other time they were right out there, exposed so anyone could see. There was an array of words, some made no sense, but others she had envisioned scenarios when she was younger, being forced away by her parents. Their shame at having a daughter born with six soulmates was enough for them to keep her locked away. But apparently they didn’t do a good enough job.

It was just past midnight when Angel left the club through the employee exit around the side in the alleyway. She had her backpack slung over her shoulder, her back turned to the normally empty alley as she made sure the door shut all the way.

Hands reached out of the dark, grabbing her shoulders, pulling her from the step and down on to the ground. Her back hit the alley hard, her breath leaving her lungs as her backpack flew a few feet away from her.

“If that stupid employer won’t teach you a lesson, then I will.”

David was on her quicker than she could comprehend, his knee digging into her stomach, hand covering her mouth before she could scream. She fought back, trying to get her pepper spray out of her pocket, but he was stronger than her.

She managed to knee him in the stomach, giving her just enough wiggle room to get free, running past him towards her backpack. But he was faster, grabbing the hood of her baggy sweatshirt, pulling her backwards. He slammed her against the brick wall, her head meeting the wall hard, her vision going dark for a second. He was working his hand up her shirt, his hands reaching towards her breasts.

“Hel-” His hand covered her mouth, blocking out the sound. She hoped she’d been loud enough to alert someone, but then again, most people out at this time wouldn’t care.

His hands moved down to her belt, fumbling with the buckle. “I’m gonna make you scream-” He cried out as she bit his hand.

“You little bitch!” He yelled, punching her in the jaw, sending her to the ground again. “I’m gonna show you-” He raised his hand to strike her again, but the blow never came.

“That’s no way to speak to a lady.”

 

 

Steve had just turned the corner, heading towards The Office when he heard it, his enhanced hearing catching the shrill scream for help that was quickly cut off. He snapped into action, Captain America taking over as he ran towards the alley where the sounds of the scuffle were coming from. He shot down the alley when he saw the large man standing over a small woman on the ground.

David was so distracted he never heard Steve approaching until Steve caught his fist, stopping him from hitting Angel again.

“That’s no way to speak to a lady.” He said before throwing David to the ground.

Steve created a barrier between himself and Angel, catching David’s fist when he threw it at him. Steve delivered his own punch, giving David a swift kick to the ass as he went running down the alley.

Steve turned to Angel once David was out of sight, seeing her getting to her feet. He stepped closer, helping to steady her on her feet.

“Are you alright, ma’am?” He asked, looking her over for any signs of detrimental injury.

Angel felt her stomach tighten, a rush of adrenaline straight to her core when those words were said. She fell back against the brick wall, staring wide eyed at Steve. She wasn’t stupid, she knew who he was, even in the dim light of the alley. But now he was more than that.

“Oh god. It’s you.” She breathed, watching the shock come over his face.

She took that moment to run, grabbing her backpack as she took off down the alley, hooking left, then around the corner of the building to the black SUV that was parked on the street, hopping in the back seat.

 

 

"Oh god. It's you."

Steve felt the familiar heat rush through his body, his heart rate picking up as he stared at the spot where his soulmate had stood just seconds before. He could hear her retreating footsteps under the pounding of his heart. He had found her. The third piece to his puzzle. To Bucky’s puzzle. And she had just slipped from his fingers.

He ran to the street, looking for his soulmate, but she had vanished. He couldn’t even hear her footsteps. He looked up at the flashing neon sign over his head. She had come out of that building. He hadn’t ever been in a gentleman’s club, much less a 21st century gentleman’s club. He took a breath, only going in because he wanted at least a name. Something.

 

 

“Did you really have to hit me?” Angel asked as the SUV roared to life. She was sandwiched next to ‘David’ in the backseat, two armed men in the front.

“I had to make it believable.” He said, grabbing her chin. “Eh, you’ve had worse. You’ll heal.” He leaned forward between the front seats. “Is he in yet?”

“I don’t know.” The man in the passenger seat said. “Nick will give us the signal when he arrives. If he does, we’ll move on to Step Two. If he doesn’t then we use Plan B.”

Angel stared out the window as the city passed by. She didn't want to be doing this. They didn't know he was her soulmate. They didn't know she was already deeper into this than they had expected. She was terrified of what would happen if she had to go to Plan B. She wasn't sure she could do it now. She wanted out. And she needed help.

 

 

“How can I help you?” Mr. Case asked as Steve approached the bar. Mr. Case put down the glass he was drying, making sure Steve was looking away from the bar as he pressed the button on the bottom.

“I’m here to ask about one of your employees. Petite, dark hair, just left a few minutes ago.”

“That’s my Angel. My best money maker. Lots of guys ask about her.”

“You’re the manager?”

“Owner actually. I own the whole building.”

“Will she be here tomorrow?”

“She’s here every night. Front and center.”

Steve turned to look at the vacant table a few feet from him before turning back to Mr. Case. “Thank you-”

“Mr. Case. But you can call me Nick.”

“Thank you, Nick.”

“No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

He waited until Steve was gone before picking up the phone. “Initiate step two. He’ll be back tomorrow.”


	2. Tony

Steve had to run back to the tower to clear his head. He’d found his soulmate, then proceeded to lose her, then found out she’s an entertainer. His thoughts were whirring faster than he could process them, and the run to the tower did nothing to soothe those thoughts.

He went up to his floor, finding Bucky still in bed. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he took of his shoes and jeans.

“Hey.” Bucky said, his voice hoarse from sleep. Bucky turned on his back, metal arm glinting in the small bit of light coming in from the curtains. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“No.” Steve said, moving to sit on the edge of the bed by Bucky’s feet. “Went and took a walk. See if I could clear my head.”

“It didn’t work, did it?”

Steve sighed. “I found her, Buck. My soulmate.”

Bucky sat up, moving so he was facing Steve where he sat on the bed. “What’s she like?”

“I don’t know. She was being attacked in the alley behind The Office when I met her. She ran away right after she said my words.”

“Look at you, Stevie. Still chasing dames away 70 years later.”

“Shut up, jerk.” Steve said, smiling at his partner. “It wasn’t like that...she looked...almost afraid of me.”

“Did you get a name? Anything?”

“She works at The Office as a dancer. I talked to the owner, he said they call her Angel. She’ll be there again...” He looked at the clock. “Tonight.”

“Well then let’s go meet this Angel.”

“No, Buck. I want you to stay here.”

“Why?”

“What if she’s your soulmate as well? Then she might run away and we’ll never see her again.” Steve shook his head, looking down at the floor. “Something fishy’s going on here. I’ll talk to Tony. See if he’ll go with me. He knows how to talk to dames.”

“Ninety-six and you still can’t figure out how to talk to girls.”

“Well, that hasn’t been a problem until now.”

“C’mere, punk.” Bucky said, laying back down in bed.

Steve slid in next to him, pulling Bucky against his chest. The cool metal of Bucky’s arm seeped through his thin undershirt, but he didn’t care. He’d become accustomed to the metal prosthetic over the few months since they’d gotten back together. It was a good reminder that he was awake, and hadn’t dreamt up the whole thing. Steve didn’t sleep that night, but he let Bucky doze away on his chest, stroking his fingers through the other man’s thick, chestnut hair, wondering what his other soulmate was doing at that moment.

 

* * *

 

Angel wasn’t having a peaceful rest of her night. She’d gone and opened her big mouth again, and now was suffering the consequences. Blood sprayed from her lips as another punch was thrown. Her bottom lip was split open in several places, the inside of her mouth had been cut against her teeth. She was sure her nose was broken and she may be concussed from when they’d thrown her in her room. A heavy boot stomped down on her ankle, making her scream out in pain.

“Yeah. Scream for me, sweetheart.”

“That’s enough.” A fist stopped just inches from her face.

She was ruthlessly thrown back to the ground, her head bouncing painfully off the tile floor.

“Restrain yourself, Mr. Rumlow. Don’t break my subject.”

She blinked away the dizziness as two pairs of hands dragged her to her feet, dropping her in the exam chair. Restraints were clamped around her arms, holding her down. She didn’t bother struggling, she knew she wouldn’t get out. There was nothing she could do but watch as the needle broke the skin on her arm, pumping her full of cold liquid. Her muscles tensed, her body jerking as the serum worked its way through her bloodstream. A whine of pain left her mouth as her muscles jerked one more time before stilling, her muscles going stiff. The doctors placed a breathing tube down her throat, pushing air in and out of her lungs for her. The doctor leaned the chair back, closing her eyes so it would appear that she was comatose, but really she was fully aware of everything happening around her.

 

* * *

 

“So. Grandpa met his other soulmate. Tell me, what’s he like?”

“She, and I’m not sure.”

“You’re not sure? How?”

“I saved her from getting beat up in an alley last night, and she ran away right after she said my words.”

“So ‘Oh god. It’s you.’ Wasn’t such a good thing after all.”

“Yeah. But I know where she works and I want to go and see her tonight.”

“Let me guess. You want my advice on how to talk to her?”

“Actually, I was hoping you’d come with me.”

“Why don’t you take Frosty with you? Though I can say I’m satisfied with your choice of a wingman.”

“Because I think Bucky might be her soulmate as well. And taking how she reacted when she met me, meeting him right off the bat as well might ruin everything.”

Tony nodded. “Fine. Where does she work?”

 

* * *

 

Angel’s muscles were stiff when she came back to, the tube down her throat choking her as she tried to breathe on her own. It wasn’t the first time she’d woken up like this, nor would it be the last. Hands tilted her head back, pulling the tube from her throat so she could breathe again. She coughed, pulling against her restraints as she grew accustomed to breathing freely again. She could feel life being pumped back into her muscles from where they’d been frozen for a few hours, every so often one of them spasming. She let the doctors pull her up, releasing her from her restraints. It wasn’t any use to try and escape, she could barely walk on her own as her muscles worked overtime to get their strength back.

“What I wouldn’t do to get you like this all the time.” She groaned at the voice. “So pliable and weak.”

“Escort the Angel to get ready. Step Two is being put in motion tonight.”

“Right this way, Angel.” She let them lead her to the room where they kept all her stuff. She didn’t call it a bedroom since she never slept in there. They just kept her clothes and everything else they thought she’d need in there. Including the file on herself. There wasn’t much in it, but maybe if she could get five minutes alone with Captain America, then she could stop them from succeeding.

 

* * *

 

“A strip club? Your soulmate is a stripper?”

Steve rolled his eyes at the smug look on Tony’s face. “Yes. Apparently she’s very popular as well.”

“Well then.” Tony said, opening the door to the back of the Rolls. “Let’s go see for ourselves.”

Steve tried to tune out the thumping bass as they entered the strip club. It was slow, maybe ten patrons flitting from table to table. Both Steve and Tony stopped when their eyes landed on her. Mr. Case had been right. There was a reason she was front and center.

“Get me a scotch.” Tony said, handing money to Steve, his eyes never leaving Angel. “I’m gonna talk to your girl.”

Steve couldn’t move as he watched her. In any different circumstance he would have blushed, looking away at the indecency, but he couldn’t tear his eyes from her.

“Hey, Cap!” Finally tore him from his daze. Steve looked over to the bar where Mr. Case was standing. “Glad you made it.”

“Yeah.” Steve said, sitting down on one of the stools “Can I get a Scotch and a beer, please?”

“Coming right up.”

Tony moved to the table, sitting down at one of the stools, his back to the bar. He smirked as she twirled over to him, squatting down in front of him. He pulled out his wallet, fishing a Benjamin from the stack he’d gotten from the ATM at the tower.

“So you’re the girl Capsicle keeps talking about.” He said as he slipped the folded up bill into the side of her bra.

Angel froze, the smirk falling from her face as same rush of adrenaline pumped through her system, like it had last night. She had to reach behind her and grab on to the pole to keep herself upright.

“And you’re Tony Stark.” She finally said, watching as his smirk fell as well.

Steve finally joined them, noticing the shocked look that passed between them. “Everything okay?” He asked, sitting beside Tony.

Angel’s eyes flitted to the bar where Mr. Case was watching intently. She looked back at her two soulmates, swallowing the lump in her throat. “Stay here.” She slipped off the table, walking over to the bar.

“Everything alright over there?” Mr. Case said, giving her a look.

“I’m going to treat our special guests to a private show.”

Mr. Case smirked knowingly at her. “30 minutes. Use Room 4.” He grabbed her arm before she could turn away. “Then we start Step Two.” He whispered before releasing her.

She hurried over to where Steve and Tony were sitting. “Follow me.” She said, running a hand down each of their arms before walking towards Room 4. Thankfully there wasn’t that big of a crowd so it was a straight shot.

She waited until Steve and Tony were inside before closing the curtain. “Take a seat. We’re gonna have to be quick about this.” She said quietly, seating both men next to each other.

“What’s the rush, sweetheart?” Tony asked, unbuttoning his suit jacket before taking a seat.

She squatted down between the chairs, running her hands up their shoulders to the backs of their necks, pulling them close to her. “HYDRA is here.” She whispered.

Both men’s heads snapped towards her. “What?” Steve said loudly.

“Shh. They’re probably listening in now.” She turned their heads towards the exit door. “Take that exit there. It leads out to the alley. Take a right, walk to the end of the alley. To the left there’s a diner that’s open, should be fairly empty. Pick a booth in the back, sit with your back facing the door. If I’m not there in 10 minutes, leave, go back to the tower, and make sure no one follows you. Understand?”

“How do we know we can trust you?” Steve asked.

“You don’t.” She said simply before standing up. “Now go. I’ll meet you there.”

She moved to the curtain, peeking out, making sure no one was watching before slipping back towards the dressing room. She took her heels off, dumping them in the trash before slipping on her jeans. She pulled off the skin screens, revealing the words on her skin, dumping those as well. She pulled on her sweatshirt, not bothering to take off the revealing costume she’d been wearing. She pulled on her shoes, grabbing her backpack before slipping out the back door.

She hustled up the alley, making sure no one was following before hooking a left to the diner. Steve and Tony were there, much to her relief, sitting in the back with their backs to the door. She slid in the booth across from them, sitting close to the wall so she was directly across from Tony.

“We have maybe 20 minutes before they realize we’re gone, so we need to make a long story short here.” She pulled her file out of her backpack, sliding it across the table towards Tony. “This is everything I could get from HYDRA without them noticing. It’s not much, but it’s all I have about my past.”

Tony flipped open the folder, the first page was a poster, the picture of a smiling, dark haired little girl grainy on the paper. The large red words ‘Missing’ stuck out at the top. Steve grabbed the folder, flipping through some of the other papers, mostly reports from tests HYDRA had done.

“They took me when I was 10. They...did things to me. Ran tests, spent hours watching me. But they never told me why, or what they were doing.”

“Do they know that we’re...” Steve asked, trailing off, not quite wanting to say the word.

“No. If they did, they didn’t say anything.”

“So exactly how many soulmates do you have?” Tony asked, closing the file.

“Six. And I’ve already found two.”

Steve and Tony shared a look before Tony pulled out his phone. “Well. It looks like our time is almost up.” He nodded to Steve who slid out of the booth, offering a hand to Angel.

“What?” Was all she could say.

“We don’t have this kind of time.” Tony said, standing up.

Steve grabbed Angel’s arm gently, pulling her to her feet. Angel just managed to grab her backpack before she was being led out of the diner.

“What are you doing?” She asked, slightly panicked as Tony opened the door to a black Rolls Royce parked on the street.

“We’re taking you with us.” Tony said simply.

“What? You-you can’t do that. It’s not safe.”

“Trust me, sweetheart. It’s the safest place in the city right now.” Was all he said as Steve pushed her into the car.

Tony climbed in after her, Steve picking up the rear as he closed the door, sitting across from Angel and Tony. Tony draped his arm across the seat, bringing Angel a little closer to him.

“You know the tower will be the first place they look, right?” She said, looking between the two men nervously.

“I think you’re underestimating the capabilities of the Avengers.”

“I think you’re underestimating the capabilities of HYDRA.” She countered.

“Sassy.” Tony said. “I like a little fire.”

Steve caught Angel’s uncomfortable shiver, so he drew Tony’s attention from her. He had no idea she’d heard those words countless times from HYDRA agents under completely different circumstances. The rest of the short ride was full of Tony trying to guess who the other four soulmates could be while Angel stared out the window, not really hearing anything he was saying. When she’d thought they could help her, this wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad people are reading this lol


	3. The Other Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel meets her other four soul mates and they learn a bit about her past.

Angel’s eyes were wide as the trio made their way to the top of the tower. She’d never seen anything so extravagant. She’d jumped, squeaking in surprise when she’d met FRIDAY. It would have been a lie to say she wasn’t nervous about meeting (who could be ) her possible soulmates.

She stared in awe at the living area of the tower. After having been shoved in a white room for eleven years she’d forgotten what an actual living room looked like. What a kitchen looked like.

“So it can’t be Banner, Barton, Vision or the female Maximoff. So who does that leave us? FRIDAY, call everyone that I didn’t just mention.”

“Tony, you’re seriously going to wake them up at 2 in the morning for this?” Steve said. “Angel’s probably exhausted.”

Both men turned to look at her. “I don’t think I could sleep. There’s still a lot to process.”

“Well then. Let’s get this over with now.”

The rest of the team stumbled into the living area, bleary eyed and grumbling.

“Seriously Stark? There better be a good reason why I’m awake at two in the morning.” Natasha said, rubbing her eyes before plopping down on one of the couches. She blinked away the sleep from her eyes before they landed on Angel.

She looked her over, even in her jeans and baggy sweatshirt with her overly made up face she could tell she was gorgeous.

“Well. Getting a rude awakening at two in the morning isn’t so bad now.”

It was like a punch to the gut, nearly knocking her off her feet. Her eyes got wider, if that were possible as she struggled to keep her breathing normal.

“I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or serious.” She said, her voice shaking slightly.

But the look on the assassin's face was priceless.

Tony cheered, making Angel jump. “One down, three to go.”

Steve shook his head, sitting down on the couch so his back was facing the elevator.

"One of her soul mates is a girl." He whispered. 

“What is happening? Is there an attack?” Thor asked, lumbering into the room, his hammer in one hand.

“No, Point Break. There’s no attack. We just want to meet someone.” Tony said, steering Angel over towards Thor. “Thor, Angel. Angel, Thor.”

“It is an honor to meet you, fair maiden.” Thor said, taking her hand in his so he could kiss her knuckles.

Angel stared up at Thor with wide eyes, her legs shaking slightly. “You’re bigger than I was expecting.” She hadn’t meant to say it, but it had just slipped out.

Steve elbowed Tony to keep him from saying anything vulgar as the two shared a moment. Angel was gripping Thor’s hand tightly, shaking slightly from the onslaught of emotions she was feeling. A throat cleared, making everyone jump. No one had noticed when the soldier had made his appearance. Angel turned, her eyes wide, mouth slightly open as she finally saw him. His hair had been cut, above his shoulders, framing his face. His eyes were soft, but she could still detect a bit of unease in them as he stared at her. They weren’t emotionless like they had been the first time she’d seen him. There was still stubble on his face, the metal of his arm glinting as he neared her.

She turned away from Thor, starring up at Bucky, her fingers shaking slightly. He stopped in front of her, a tense silence filling the room as they stared at each other.

“I know your face.” He finally whispered, lifting a hand to trace her cheekbone.

“And I know yours.” She whispered, grabbing on to him so her legs didn’t give out under her.

Both he and Thor moved her to the couch so she could sit, her mind reeling. Thor took the seat next to Natasha as Bucky moved over to Steve, wrapping an arm around him.

“So. Five down, one left.” Tony said.

“There’s six of us?” Natasha asked, looking over to the shell shocked Angel.

“Yeah.” She breathed.

“What do the last words say? Maybe we could figure it out from there.” Steve said.

“‘So you’re what all the fuss is about?’” Angel said from memory.

The five men looked at each other. “Could be anyone.” Bucky said.

“What about Sam?” Tony asked, looking at Steve.

“He’s coming over tomorrow so we could see then.”

Tony and Natasha shared a look, and Natasha started shaking her head. “No. You’re not thinking-”

“So you’re what all the fuss is about?” A voice said, appearing suddenly next to Angel, making her jump and squeak again.

“Jesus Christ! What did you do? Teleport?”

The silver haired speedster stared at Angel as she tried to calm herself down from her almost heart attack. Natasha groaned, leaning back in her seat.  
“Well it’s settled. She has all six of us now.” Tony said, clapping his hands.

“Wait, shouldn’t we get to know our soulmate?” Natasha asked.

“Yes, I would very much like to get to know our soulmate.” Thor said.

“Oh, I don’t want to keep you up. I’m sure you have more important things to do tomorrow, and sleep is important...” Angel said, blushing a little.

“We’re all a little too awake now, Angel.” Tony said.

“Kira.” She said, making all five men and one woman tilt their heads in confusion. “M-my name. It’s Kira, but no one’s called me that for a long time. So either will do.”

“I want to know how you and Frosty know each other.” Tony said, looking between Kira and Bucky.

“Frosty?”

“Tony has this incessant need to call us all by nicknames.” Steve said, glaring at Tony.

“Right. I’ll try to remember that.” Angel brushed the hair back from her face. “It was only in passing. We never actually spoke. But I knew who he was. Everyone in HYDRA, prisoner or not knew who he was.”

“I remembered seeing you. Even after they wiped me.” He said, smiling a little bit.

“How did you get with HYDRA?” Pietro asked her.

“I was kidnapped when I was 10. Before that my parents kept me locked away because of my soulmarks. They thought I was a freak for having six, so they kept me hidden away. But not hidden enough. HYDRA stormed the mansion, killed everyone inside but me. They took me to a facility, ran tests, injected me with god knows what.” She shivered slightly, all five men and one woman in the room leaned a little closer, Pietro scooting closer to her. “They did some horrible things.” She said, looking down at the floor.

“Why did they wait until now to send you out?” Steve asked. “They had to have known about us.”

“They didn’t. They’d had that plan in motion for months. They’d been watching you. All of you. They knew you’d found him.” She nodded at Bucky. “They watched you, learning the route you walked, then put the club up right smack in the middle of it. Everyone in that club aside from the dancers are HYDRA. Even some of the patrons. The fight in the alley, it was all staged. They waited for weeks for you to leave by yourself.”

“But why?”

“They wanted to draw you out. All of you. And they knew Captain America would help a woman in need. They took a chance, not knowing if you would go in and ask about me. If you didn’t, they would have caught you when you were outside the tower. But you went in and came back, and I was supposed to hold you there, long enough for them to get into place to draw out the other Avengers, and get back the Winter Soldier and the twins.”

“Then why did you help us?”

“Because I wanted out. I was tired of being treated like dirt. Like I was nothing more than a test subject. And I knew you would help me. That’s why I ran the first night. It would have been too risky to ask you then. They were too close.”

It was silent between them for a while before Pietro finally spoke up.

“How is this going to work?” He asked. “I mean, there’s six of us, and only one of her.”

“We share.” Tony said, shrugging. “There’s seven days in a week, so we each get a night, then she has one to herself.”

“Bucky and I can share.” Steve said from where he was snuggled into Bucky’s side.

“Wait-you two are actually...” Kira said.

“Yeah.” Bucky said, smiling a little.

“If you don’t mind, of course.” Steve said.

“Oh, no, I don’t mind...this is just...all so new to me. Having physical contact that’s not punches, or...” She leaned back, pulling her knees to her chest when she saw the looks on the six people's faces. All of them looked capable of murder.

“Don’t worry, Printesa.” Pietro said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her small body into his side. “We won’t let anyone hurt you. Ever again.”

She tensed for a moment before relaxing, sinking into his side. A yawn escaped her, for the first time in years.

“Maybe we should head to bed.” Steve said. “It is late. Or, rather early.”

“I haven’t slept in nine years.” Kira said, stretching slightly, but freezing when all six pairs of eyes were on her again.

“What?” Natasha asked, staring at her cautiously.

“How is that possible?” Tony asked.

“Every night for nine years they’d inject me with something, and it would put me almost in a catatonic state. My muscles would freeze, they had to put a breathing tube down my throat so I could keep breathing. One of the doctors was nice enough to close my eyes for me so I at least looked like I was sleeping, but my mind was wide awake and I could still sense everything around me.”

All six of them looked at her with pity filled eyes. She watched Bucky’s metal arm tense, the gears whirring as he clenched his fist.

“Well, we promise we won’t do that to you.” Tony said. “You can have the guest bedroom tonight until we can get something set up tomorrow...” He looked down at his watch. “Later today.”

“What about HYDRA?” Kira asked, letting Pietro pull her to her feet.

“We’ll deal with them later as well. I doubt they’ll just spontaneously attack the tower.” Steve said.

“Yes, HYDRA would be deliberate in their attacks.” Thor said, moving over to Kira. “I bid you goodnight, Lady Kira.” He bent down, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Kira’s cheeks warmed, a blush spreading over her face. “Goodnight, Thor.” She said, waving slightly, her mind reeling.

“We’re gonna head that way too.” Natasha said, looking to Pietro. “Night, Angel.” she said, pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head.

“Goodnight, Printesa.” Pietro said, kissing her cheek before he was gone in a flash.

“Come on. Your room is one floor up.” Tony said, getting into the elevator with Steve and Bucky, Kira following behind them.

“It’s right across from our room.” Bucky said, lacing the fingers of his flesh hand with Steve’s.

The elevator dinged, signalling their arrival. Kira followed Tony as he led the way down the hall to the first door on the left. Steve and Bucky moved past them, slightly further down the hall to their room.

“If you need anything, just knock. Or have FRIDAY wake us.” Steve said, smiling a little at Kira before he followed Bucky into their shared room.

“So this is it for now. We’ll get everything figured out tomorrow. We’ll get lots of things figured out tomorrow.” Tony said, watching in amusement as Kira stared wide eyed at the room. It was more than she could have ever imagined after spending 11 years with HYDRA. “There’s a toothbrush and toothpaste in the bathroom, as well as some other amenities if you want to take a shower. I’ll leave you to it. Like Steve said, if you need anything, just ask FRIDAY. She’ll get one of us.” Tony pressed a kiss to her cheek, smiling at her as he pulled away. “Goodnight, Kira.”

“Night.” She said, smiling at him as he closed the door.

She looked around the room, setting her backpack down on the floor next to the bed. She sat down on the mattress, sighing as she sunk into it. She hadn’t been in a real bed in...since she’d been taken from HYDRA. She looked down at her clothes, realizing she had nothing to sleep in. She didn’t have any clothes besides the ones she was wearing.

As if someone had read her mind, there was a knock on the door. She made her way over cautiously, opening it a crack.

“Hey, it’s Bucky.” Bucky said, noticing how the door only opened so she could see out.

At his voice she opened the door wider, regarding the soldier with a weary eye.

“Steve realized you probably didn’t have anything to wear to bed, so he wanted to send these over.” He said, holding out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, both neatly folded.

“Oh, thank you.” She said, taking the clothes from his hands.

“They’re probably too big, but at least you’ll be comfortable.” An awkward beat passed between them. “I should get back to Steve. Goodnight, Angel.” He said, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

“Night, Bucky.” She said, waiting until he closed his bedroom door, before she closed hers.

He was right, the clothes were too big, but they were comfortable. She had to roll up the sweats, and yet they were still too long. The t-shirt smelled like aftershave and she found it comforting as she lay back in the bed. It was like laying on a cloud. She thought sleep would come easy to her that night, but she found she wasn’t getting off that easily.

 


	4. The Avengers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira meets the rest of the Avengers.

It was sometime around 5 in the morning, and Kira was still wide awake, staring at the ceiling. The concept of sleep had seemed easy enough, but actually achieving it was proving harder than she had expected. It was around 5:30 that she heard a door open and close, muffled footsteps making their way down the hallway to the elevator.

Kira slid out of bed, holding her sweatpants up as she made her way to the door, peeking her head out. The hallway was clear so she stepped out, walking to the elevator. The doors slid open like they were waiting for her arrival. It was slightly unnerving, but something she decided she’d just have to get used to. She stepped in, looking at the control box. She scratched her head, trying to figure out how it worked.

“If I may be of assistance, Miss Stevens.” She jumped when she heard FRIDAY’s voice.  
“Uh, yeah, take me down to the same floor the last person went to, please.”

The doors shut and the elevator moved downwards to a floor she hadn’t been on yet. There was a kitchen to the left, and to the right there were a bunch of couches and a TV. She heard glass clink in the kitchen and she turned back that way, seeing a familiar metal glint in the dim light. She made her way over, not knowing whether to announce her presence or not.

“Couldn’t sleep?” He asked, not bothering to turn around.

“No. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to.”

“It’s been too long since you’ve had your own free will, huh?” He said, finally looking at her with a knowing glint in his eyes. “I know how it is. It takes some time to get used to it. Do you want some warm milk?” He asked, taking his glass out of the microwave.

“I-uh-”

“HYDRA didn’t feed you, did they.” It wasn’t a question.

Kira shook her head, refusing to meet his eyes. She only watched as he grabbed another glass from the cupboard, filling it with milk before putting it in the microwave. He cupped his hands around the other glass, testing its temperature.

“Careful. It’s still a little hot.” He said, handing it to Kira.

“You can feel with that hand?” She asked, regarding his metal arm with a frown.

“I can feel temperatures, and shapes, but sensations are lost on it. Rough, smooth, soft.” He shrugged. “That’s what the other hand is for.” He said, grabbing his milk from the microwave. “But Tony’s working on an upgrade that will enhance that much. Come on.” He said, nodding towards the couches.

Kira followed him, sitting down next to him, keeping a little space between them. Bucky took a sip of his milk before placing it on the coffee table in front of them. Kira followed his lead, testing the milk before taking a bigger drink from the glass. Bucky smiled at her, remembering when he had been reintroduced to what people considered normal, everyday things.

“Why didn’t you tell them?” Bucky finally asked, staring at the black TV screen.

Kira’s head snapped to the side, looking at him. “You remember that?”

“I remember a lot of what HYDRA tried to wipe. Including that.” He finally looked at her.

It was her turn to look away. “I didn’t want to drop that on them. It’s bad enough they’ve got an even bigger target on their backs. And you and Steve looked so happy. I didn’t want to ruin that.”

“You won’t ruin that. We were that way back in the 40’s. It was just as easy to slip back into it now.” It was silent between them for a moment. “Can I see it?”

Kira stood, moving in front of him before lifting the edge of the t-shirt, his t-shirt, revealing the scar on her side, just above her hipbone. Bucky reached forward, fingers trembling slightly as he traced the rough, raised skin.

“I-” He sucked in a breath, pulling his hand back.

“It’s okay. I’ve had worse.”

His metal arm whirred as his fist clenched. “Who? Who was it?”

Kira took a half step back at the look on his face. “L-lots of them. Mostly when I was younger. But some of them liked to come in when I was catatonic. Or right after they reversed it. When I was at my weakest. One always liked to beat me up. He-He’d come in and see me the most.”

Bucky grabbed her hand, pulling her closer to him. “What was his name?”

Her voice was barely a whisper, but his sensitive ears picked it up. “R-Rumlow.”

He pulled her down, cupping her face with his hands. “They’re never going to hurt you again, you hear me?” She nodded, studying his eyes as they bore into his. “None of us...I won’t hurt you. We’re your soulmates. We’re here to protect you from guys like Rumlow. From HYDRA.” He released her, grabbing her milk from the coffee table. “Now drink up.” He said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “We’ll work on getting you to sleep later. It’s almost time for everyone to get up.” He said, looking at the sun that was slowly peeking in the windows of the tower. “You’re gonna meet a lot of people today.” Kira sighed, putting her head on his shoulder. “Thankfully most of them are pretty accepting. You just let us know if it gets too overwhelming, okay? I know Tony can get pretty overwhelming sometimes.” He felt her nod against his shoulder. “There’s a guy coming over, Sam. He’s friends with Steve and he was in the military. He used to work at the VA in D.C., helping veterans with PTSD. He comes over once a week to see me. He helped me through a lot of the adjustment period. He still helps me. Maybe you could talk to him too.”

“I like you, Bucky.” She said, bringing her knees to her chest so she was curled up in a ball beside him. “You get it.”

“We all have our hidden weaknesses. Steve gets nightmares just as often as I do. He’s just better at pretending. Tony gets anxiety attacks sometimes, Natasha was trained to be a killer with no feelings, Pietro almost died in Sokovia while fighting Ultron. And don’t even get me started on Thor. We’re not as perfect as media makes us out to be.”

There was a comfortable silence between the two of them before the elevator dinging broke it. Bucky shifted, looking over his shoulder at the new arrival.

“Hey, Stevie.” He said, smiling softly at his partner.

“Hey.” Steve said, making his way over to the couch. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Nah. We gotta work on getting this one to sleep again.” Bucky tilted his head as Steve carded his fingers through his hair. “Figured I’d reintroduce her to milk.”

“Reintroduce?” Steve asked, moving around the couch so he was sitting next to Bucky.

“HYDRA didn’t feed her.” A look passed between the two men.

“They didn’t have to.” She shrugged nonchalantly like she was talking about the weather. “I wasn’t ever hungry.”

“So what do you think of milk?” Steve asked as she gulped down the rest of her glass.

“I like it. It’s different.”

“Well that’s good.” Steve said, watching as she curled up against Bucky’s side again. “We’ve got a lot to work on, it looks like.”

“I thought we could let her talk to Sam today.” Bucky said, wrapping his arms around her.

They already looked so comfortable around each other. Last night she had looked scared and overwhelmed. He could only hope she could get that comfortable around the rest of them.

“How soon do you think the rest will be coming down?” Bucky asked.

The elevator dinged, answering that question for them. Tony walked in, tablet in one hand, phone in the other. He payed no mind to the trio on the couch, heading straight for the kitchen.

“FRIDAY, coffee.”

“Right away, Mr. Stark.”

He finally looked up, spotting the three bodies on the couch, all looking at him. “You’re up early.”

“Couldn’t sleep.” Steve said, looking at Bucky and Kira. “Too much on the mind.”

“I hear ya.” He said, grabbing a mug from the cupboard.

“You never sleep.” Bucky said, leaning back on the couch.

“I do too...when I need it.” He shrugged.

Bucky’s stomach growled, making Kira frown in confusion. “It’s just my stomach, doll.” He said, brushing her hair behind her ear. “It means I’m hungry.”

“I’ll get started on breakfast.” Steve said, leaning over to press a kiss to Bucky’s lips before getting up and heading to the kitchen, Kira watching with a smile on her face.

“When did that happen?” Tony asked Steve quietly, nodding towards the pair on the couch.

“Sometime this morning. Neither slept. They were out here when I woke up.” Steve replied, grabbing the makings for pancakes. “Apparently HYDRA didn’t feed her while she was with them.”

Steve thought Tony might break the mug in his hand, his grip was so tight. “What?”

“She said she never felt hungry, so they didn’t feed her.”

Tony sighed, looking over where Kira was getting up from the couch.

“You know, when I pictured meeting my soulmate, it didn’t quite go down like this. Nor did I picture having to share her with five other men.”

“I don’t think any of us did.” Steve said, shaking his head. “But she’s gonna need a lot of work.”

“Then we’ll put in the time. Get HYDRA taken care of, then we can spend all the time it takes with her, without them breathing down our backs.”

Kira sat down at the island, directly across from Steve as Bucky went to the fridge, getting out the milk. He refilled her glass and the three men watched as she gulped it down greedily.

“Slow down there, kiddo.” Tony said, moving to sit beside her. “Don’t want you getting sick.”

“I can’t get sick.” She said, looking over at Tony. “At least that’s what they said. ‘She could lick a Manhattan sidewalk and come out fine.’”

“Huh.” Tony said, regarding her for a moment before turning back to his tablet. “We’ll have to test that later. But for now I have Natasha stopping to get you clothes until we can get a proper wardrobe ordered for you.”

“I get my own clothes?”

“You can have anything you want, sweetheart.”

She frowned, looking at the counter for a moment. “More milk?” She asked, sliding her cup closer to Bucky.

“Even that.” He said, laughing.

The elevator doors slid open, Wanda and Vision walking into the kitchen.

“Who’s this?” Wanda asked, standing at the opposite end of the island as Kira.

“Kira, meet Wanda Maximoff and Vision.”

“You’re my brothers soulmate.” Wanda said.

“I-uh-”

“Telepathy.” Tony said, leaning slightly towards Kira. “Watch what you think around that one.”

“Yes, you should watch what you think around her.” Kira jumped as Pietro appeared beside her.

“Jesus, you’re going to give me a heart attack.” She breathed, placing a hand on her heart.

“Sorry, _domnita._ I’ll try to remember that.” He said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“You’re the twins?” Kira asked, looking between Wanda and Pietro.

“You know about us?” Pietro asked.

“I heard about you. One of the doctors at HYDRA said I wasn’t the only experiment that was working. There was a set of twins with powers. I didn’t hear anything after that until they send me out to draw out the Avengers so they could get the Winter Soldier and the twins back.” Her eyes landed on Vision. “And what are you?”

Tony choked on his coffee at her words, having to take a second to remember how to breathe again.

“I am an android.”

Kira nodded. “Right. And androids have soulmates?”

“Yes. They do.” Wanda said, looking to her soulmate.

“That’s sweet.” Kira said, tilting her head as she stared at the couple.

“Right. Who are we missing?” Tony asked.

“Thor, Clint...” Steve started.

“And Natasha.” A new voice said.

Kira spun around, spotting Dr. Banner as he approached the group formed in the kitchen.

“Who’s this?” He asked, taking a seat next to Tony.

“Bruce, Kira. Kira, Dr. Bruce Banner.” Kira waved at him, giving him a small smile. “She’s our soulmate.” Tony said.

“Our?” Bruce asked.

“Mine, Frosty’s, Cap’s, Road Runner’s-”

“And mine.” Thor said, walking into the kitchen, followed by a still partly asleep Clint.

“All five of you?”

“Yeah. With Natasha too. Shocker huh?” Tony said, leaning on the back of Kira’s stool.

“So Natasha’s the only one missing.”

“I sent her on a little side mission on her way back to the tower. She may have gotten a little sidetracked.”

“Where did you send her?” Banner asked, moving to get coffee.

“Our girl needs clothes. So I told her to stop and get the essentials until we can get a wardrobe ordered. Which we should do today. And plan out your room so we can get everything for that, and then-”

“Tony, why don’t we take it one step at a time.” Steve said, catching Kira’s wide eyes. “Like breakfast now, and then wardrobe later.”

“Sam will be here this afternoon.” Bucky said, grabbing plates out of the cupboard.  
“Great. We can go over what to do about the HYDRA situation then as well.”

“What HYDRA situation?” Natasha asked as she walked into the living area, her arms full of bags.

“I told you to get the essentials, not buy a whole store.” Tony said.

“A girl’s essentials are far more complicated than a man’s.” Natasha said, setting the bags down on the floor by the couches before moving into the kitchen.

She walked to Kira and kissed her forehead before looking around at the other guys. 

“Breakfast is ready.” Steve said, handing Bucky the last of the plates full of food to take to the table.

“Come on.” Natasha said, grabbing Kira’s hand. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”


	5. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast timeee

Kira sat between Natasha and Tony at the table, Thor, Bucky and Steve across from them. Kira watched, wide eyed as the three scarfed down pancake after pancake without stopping.   
“Yes, they always eat like that.” Natasha said, leaning slightly towards Kira. “Two super soldiers and a god. That’s a big metabolism with just them alone.”

“So Kira, tell us about yourself.” Bruce said from where he sat on the opposite side of Tony.

Suddenly all eyes were on her. She sank down a little bit, leaning unconsciously closer to Tony. “There’s not a lot to know.” She said quietly. “From what my file said, I was born in Kentucky to rich parents, and I had six soulmarks when I was born. My parents hid me away until I was 10 when HYDRA stormed our mansion and killed my parents and kidnapped me. I was with them for eleven years, being tested on. I don’t know what they did to me, most of it’s hazy, but I remember some of it.” She drifted off, frowning down at her pancakes, oblivious to the looks she was receiving from the team, especially the ones from her soulmates.

“So what do we have planned for today?” Natasha asked, breaking the solemn silence.

“We need to get a wardrobe ordered for her, and her room set up.” Tony said.

“Sam will be here this afternoon.” Steve said.

“And we need to figure out where HYDRA’s hiding and take care of them.” Clint said.

“So, Kira, what’s your favorite color?”

“I...uh...” She frowned down at her almost completely untouched plate of food. “I don’t remember.”

“Oh come on. There’s gotta be a color you like.” Clint said.

“All I saw was white and black for a long time. Black fatigues and white lab coats, white walls.” Sensing the tense air in the room, she quickly added: “But I liked the purple lights in the club. Those were nice.”

“So. Purple it is.” Tony said, pulling out his phone.

“You haven’t hardly touched your food.” Natasha said, frowning at the younger woman.

Kira just shrugged, staring down at her plate. “I haven’t had to eat in a long time.”

“HYDRA didn’t feed you?”

“They didn’t have to. I wasn’t ever hungry.”

“Well eat anyways. We don’t need you passing out on us.” Clint said, giving her what could only be described as a stern, fatherly look.

Kira glanced down at her plate, cutting into her pancake with her fork. All six of her soulmates stared at her as she took a bite, pride and protective instinct surging within them. All six of them could feel it, like a strand holding them together. Despite the fact only two of them were soulmates, they could feel that connection between them forming. And Kira was that knot at the end of the strand, tying them together. Their precious little Kira.

After breakfast, Natasha and Wanda stole Kira away, taking her up to her temporary room with the clothes Natasha had bought. Kira was quickly becoming comfortable around the two, finally getting used to being in the company of women who weren’t her fellow exotic dancers. Two women who understood what it felt like to have their identities stolen away, and to be made into something else entirely.

Meanwhile, down in the kitchen, the men were discussing how their relationship was going to work. Bruce had gone back to the lab, working on the endless amount of projects Tony had, while Vision went off to do...whatever it was Vision did during the day.

“So how is this going to work? There’s six of you, and one of her.” Clint asked.

“It’s simple. We share.” Tony said shrugging. “Like we said earlier. She spends five days with us, each of us getting a day, then she has two days to herself.”

“Yeah, but who gets what day?”

“Steve found her first, so he and Bucky should get her the first day.”

“Then we go in the order we met her.” Thor said.

“So Steve and Bucky, then Tony, Nat, Thor then Pietro.” Clint said. “There we go. Y'all got it settled.”

He left the room, walking to the elevator.

“What are we going to do about HYDRA?” Pietro asked, reclining in his chair.

“We see if she knows where their hideout is, then if she does, we wipe them out, get it taken care of so we can focus on her without having a threat breathing down our backs.” Tony said.

“Then what do we do with her? We can’t take her with us.” Steve said.

“We leave her here.”

“By herself?” Thor asked.

“I’ll stay with her.” Bucky said. “She said HYDRA wanted to get their hands on me again, so I’ll stay with her. It’ll be safer for both of us.”

“Alright. That’s settled then. So whenever the girls get done playing, we’ll see if she knows where they’re hiding, make our plan, then we’ll take them out tomorrow. Get that out of the way.”

“But what if they’re expecting us to make the first move? What if they’ve already got their plan worked out, and they're just waiting for us?” Steve said. “What if they put some kind of tracking device inside her, and they’re following her every move? They could be listening in on us right now. What if they expected her to bail, and had a backup plan? Maybe bringing her here was part of their plan all along.”

It was silent between the men for a while. They had been so caught up in the emotions of finding their soulmates that they hadn’t stopped to think of that. They knew they lived dangerous lives, and everyone around them was in danger, but they hadn’t stopped to think that they could be bringing the danger to themselves.

“We have Banner take a look. Run a couple scans, see if they did implant anything in her.” Tony said.

“You really want to subject her to that? All she remembers is having test after test done by HYDRA for the past eleven years. If you tell her you want to run tests on her now, you could set her back, send her into a panic.” Bucky said, speaking from experience.

“But what if we’re there with her? We stay by her side, where she needs us?” Pietro offered up. “We need to know if they are tracking her. Because any HYDRA that’s left could do it, not just the ones that are here. If we don’t check, we could be putting her in more danger.”

“You’ve spent the most time with her, Buck.” Steve said, turning to his partner. “She said she likes you, and she’s starting to trust you. Why don’t you suggest the idea to her, and we all be there when it happens.”

Bucky sighed before nodding. “Fine.”

The elevator dinged and Natasha, Wanda and Kira came out, all three women laughing. The sight brought smiles to all five men’s faces. Kira had changed out of the baggy sweats and t-shirt into jeans and a black and white striped sweater. Her makeup had been redone, and her hair fell in loose curls down her back. She looked like a totally different person compared to what Steve and Tony had brought to the tower just a few hours ago.

“Lookin’ good, kiddo.” Tony said, smiling as a faint blush covered her cheeks.

“Thanks.” She said softly.

“C’mere, doll.” Bucky said, waving her over to that side of the table.

She walked over to him, taking his outstretched hand, letting him pull her down so she was sitting on his knee, his metal arm supporting her back.

“Do you remember if HYDRA put a tracking device anywhere on you?”

She looked down at her lap, a frown taking over her features as she tried to remember. It was silent for a moment before she shook her head. “No. I don’t remember.”

“Well, would you be willing to let Dr. Banner check to make sure you don’t have one? We’d all be there with you, and it would be a lot easier if we knew if you had one or not. Then we could make sure that you’re really safe.”

Kira chewed on her lip for a moment, looking around at the faces of her soulmates. Not one of them had a maniacal look in his eyes. She took a deep breath before nodding. “Okay. But as long as you’re all there with me.”

“We promise. We won’t leave you.”

 


	6. Finding Hydra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The avengers ask Kira some questions.

Tony led their troop to the lab, after giving Bruce a heads up of what was going on. Kira walked behind him, sandwiched in between Steve and Bucky. Natasha and Pietro followed them, with Thor taking up the rear. To any outsider it would have seemed like they were a security detail, only missing the black suits and the ear pieces.

The six soulmates surrounded the exam table in the lab, Bucky hoisting Kira up on to the table. She laid back, staring up at the lights above her.

“Alright, Kira, I just need you to lay still for me. I’m going to do a scan of your body, which will show if there’s a tracking device implanted anywhere.”

“Is this going to hurt?”

“No. It may feel strange, but it won’t hurt.”

The scanner began moving, taking in every detail of Kira’s body. A smile broke out on her face, a laugh bubbling up in her throat.

“It tickles.” She said, making all six men in the room smile. This was going better than they thought it would.

Once the scan was finished, Bucky helped Kira sit up, all eight pairs of eyes watching the screen as a scan of Kira’s body came on the screen. Bruce adjusted his glasses as he studied the scan. Bucky and Pietro flanked Kira, all six men eager to find out the news.

“There’s no sign of a tracking device anywhere.” Bruce said and all six soulmates sighed in relief. That was one thing they didn’t have to worry about.

“Kira, can we ask you something?” Steve asked, moving closer to Kira.

She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Why don’t we do this someplace a little more private.” Tony said.

The six soulmates shared glances before Bucky held his hand out to Kira. She looked around at them, all of them giving her reassuring glances before she slowly slipped her hand into Bucky’s. She followed them to the elevator, the seven of them cramming in before going down to a part of the tower Kira had never been in before. The walls were grey, most of the doors shut as they passed room after room. The came to one room on the left, the door cracked open. Inside was a long table, rolling chairs on both sides. There was a screen at one end of the room, the Avengers logo on the otherwise black screen.

“What is this place?” Kira asked, wrapping her arms around herself again

“This is where we prep for our missions.” Natasha said, trying to ease the obvious nervous tension in the room.

“We just need to ask you a couple questions. You don’t have to answer them if you don’t want.” Bucky said as Tony pulled up a holographic map of Manhattan.

“Kira, do you know where HYDRA’s was keeping you? Even just a general area.” Steve asked, leaning against the table.

Kira hesitated before nodding. “I can get there from the club. They never let me see, but I memorized it incase I wanted to try and escape. I knew which way not to run.”

The six soulmates shared a look.

“Okay.” Tony said, zooming in on The Office. “Just tell me where to go.”

“Go straight, then take a left, go straight for two blocks, take a right. Straight for eight blocks.” Tony stopped and she pointed to what looked like an abandoned building. “That one. It’s underneath. They keep guards on all floors, but they operate underneath.”

Steve nodded. “Alright. We’ll get them taken care of.”

“You’re going to fight them?” Kira asked, looking at her soulmates, her eyes wide.

“Don’t worry. We’ve done it plenty of times before. We’ll take them out, then you won’t have to worry about them anymore. You can stay here with us. Safe.”

Kira looked around the room at the six humans. Her soulmates. The six people she was tied to by fate. Perhaps it was fate that she was kidnapped, as it would eventually bring her to her soulmates.

“Be careful.” She said, looking around at them. “HYDRA is dangerous.”

The rest of the day was spent setting up Kira’s room. She liked the guest room, being close to Steve and Bucky. She felt safe with them. Tony went overboard, of course, choosing a soft lavender for the walls, and ordering all new furniture for her in a deep ebony wood. He bought a new sheets, comforter, everything she would need for the bathroom. He was very intent on spoiling her.

“Alright, kiddo, let’s get your wardrobe ordered.” He said, sitting down at one of the computers in the rec area.

Kira sat on his knee, surprising him. He smiled a little, wrapping an arm around her as they flipped through page after page of clothes. They eventually got a wardrobe ordered, set to be delivered the next day. It was nearing mid afternoon by the time they finished, Kira having warmed up to Tony like she had Bucky.

Sam arrived not long after Tony and Kira finished. He waited downstairs with Steve and Bucky, excited to meet the newest piece of their puzzle.

Kira was a little hesitant when she and Tony got off the elevator, making their way towards the room he let Sam use to talk to Bucky. Kira stayed a step behind Tony, her arms wrapped around herself.

“Hey, man.” Sam said, greeting Tony as he entered. “How’s it going?”

“Good, good.” Tony turned slightly, gesturing for Kira to step forward. “Sam, Kira. Kira, Sam.”

“So you’re the soulmate.” Sam said, keeping his distance from the obviously nervous and wary Kira.

“Yeah.” She said quietly, keeping her eyes on the floor.

“I’ll leave you guys to your talk.” Tony said, rubbing Kira’s back before leaving.

“Go ahead, have a seat.” Sam said, motioning over to where Steve and Bucky were sitting on the couch.

Bucky pulled Kira down on the couch, sandwiching her between them. She relaxed a little, feeling comforted by their combined warmth.

“So, Bucky,” Sam said, sitting down across from them. “How have you been?”

“Alright. I’ve been having a hard time sleeping.”   
“Nightmares?”

“Yeah.” Bucky said, his metal hand, tightened into a fist on his thigh.

“What are they about?”

“I’m back in the cryo chamber. Frozen, but I’m aware of everything going on around me. I can see, hear, watch them move. I’m stuck in my own head, and I can’t get out.”

Kira reached over, running her fingers over his metal hand, the gears whirring as he unclenched his fist, letting her fingers lace with his metal ones. Both Steve and Sam saw the gesture, but neither said anything, a smile forming on both their faces as they shared a look.

* * *

 

“Don’t worry, doll. They’ll be okay. They’ll keep us updated.” Bucky said as he stood next to Kira on the landing platform, watching the Avengers load up the quinjet.

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” She said, her hair blowing in her face from the quinjet. “What if it’s a trap?” She said, looking over to Bucky.”What if HYDRA wanted this to happen?”

“Like I said, they’ll be okay. They’re The Avengers.” He said, wrapping an arm around her. “Now let’s get inside. We can head down to the control room, watch them, make sure they’re okay.”

“Bucky?” She asked softly, grabbing his arm to stop him. “C-Can we watch TV instead? I just want to take my mind off it. I’ll feel better if I’m distracted.”

“Of course, sweetheart. Whatever you want to do.”

Bucky and Kira sat on the couch, watching movies neither of them had seen. Bucky had initiated FRIDAY’s defense protocol. Nothing was getting in or out of the tower until they got back. Kira stayed under Bucky’s arm, tucked against his side. He could feel the nervous energy coming from her, that, and she kept shifting, adjusting herself against his side. She was squirming in her seat, too much energy to focus on anything. It didn’t bother Bucky much, he understood that feeling.

“Hang on, doll.” He said, sitting up straighter. “I’ll be right back.”

She nodded, curling in on herself when he got up, moving around the couch to the elevator. He went up to his and Steve’s room, grabbing one of the empty notebooks he kept stashed in his drawers. He grabbed a couple pens before turning to glance out the window. He wasn’t sure how the team was doing. He hoped they were okay.

“FRIDAY?” He asked, waiting for the AI’s reply. It had taken some getting used to, having a constant, non-human presence around, but he quickly found the benefits in having one. “FRIDAY?” He asked again, but still there was no answer from the AI. “Shit.” He breathed, taking off towards the elevator. He pressed the button, but it was taking too long, so he took off down the hall to the door at the end, taking the stairs two at a time.

Kira sat, curled up on the couch, waiting for Bucky to come back. She didn’t know what was happening on the TV, as she hadn’t really been paying attention. She was far too nervous about what could happen to the team. She didn’t bother moving when she heard the elevator doors open, heavy footsteps entering the rec area. But Bucky’s footsteps weren’t heavy. He made little to no sound when he moved.

Kira shot off the couch, turning to face the elevator, her stomach dropping at the sight in front of her.

“Did you miss me, sweetheart?”


	7. Infiltration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The avengers come home to a surprise

“R-Rumlow?” Kira took a step back, her heart jumping into her throat.

“Aww, don’t be scared sweetheart. I’m not here to hurt ya.” He pulled a syringe from his belt. “Not too much.”

He started towards Kira, but she backed up, holding her hand out. “D-Don’t come near me.”

“You really think you’re in a position to be telling me what to do? You know I like being in control. Now, be a good girl and make this easy for me.”

She glanced at the emergency door before taking off, running full speed towards it. But his reflexes were faster. He grabbed her around the middle, hauling her back against his chest. She struggled against him, but his hold was firm.

“Mmm, I like the feisty ones.” He breathed, trying to jab the needle into her side.

She grabbed his arm, trying with all her strength to keep him away.

“Rumlow, let her go.” A rough voice said.

Rumlow lifted his gaze to see none other than Bucky in front of him. He chuckled, his grip on Kira tightening. There was murder in Bucky’s eyes, his hold on the gun in his hand not wavering at all.

“You’re not gonna shoot me.” Rumlow said, his breath fanning against Kira’s ear. “Not when you know there’s a chance you could hit her.”

Bucky shot at the ground by Rumlow’s feet, Kira jumping slightly, her eyes shutting in fear as Rumlow’s grip on her tightened. “I’m not going to ask again. Let. Her. Go.”

Rumlow just chuckled. “So we’ll have to do this the hard way.” He shifted Kira slightly so he could look down on her. “Do you want to see a magic trick, sweetheart? Watch this.” He turned back to Bucky “Sputnik.”

Bucky went rigid, the gun falling from his metal hand as his eyes fluttered shut, his body falling limp to the ground.

“Bucky!” Kira shouted, getting no response from the soldier. “What did you do to him?” Kira shouted, shoving Rumlow back, sending him falling to the ground.

Rumlow smirked, getting back to his feet. “Now there’s the Angel I want to see.”

Rumlow threw a punch, but she dodged it, punching him in the stomach, sending him sliding across the floor. She was angry, her heart pounding in her ears. She stomped on his foot, his ankle cracking.

“So, we’re gonna fight dirty, huh?”

Kira just sneered at him before turning, running over to Bucky. She grabbed the gun off the floor, turning around to point it right at Rumlow’s chest. Rumlow just chuckled, staring down at Kira.

“You don’t even know how to use that.” He said, grabbing her wrist and bending it back, backhanding her across the face, the gun flying from her hand. She licked her lips, tasting blood.

Rumlow bent down to grab her, but she kicked him in the stomach, sending him stumbling back. She got back to her feet and charged towards him, but he grabbed her, flipping her to the ground. He knelt over her, needle in hand. She held him off, feeling his wrist break under her hand. He didn’t falter, just pressed harder. She wrapped her legs around him, flipping them so he was on the ground again. He reached over, grabbing the gun, shooting her in the side. She cried out, doubling over in pain.

She grabbed his wrist, forcing it down under his knee. Her eyes landed on Bucky, who was still motionless not far from them.

“You killed him!” She shouted, punching him in the face. Anger surged within her and she continuously punched him, his face turning into a bloody pulp. “I’ll kill you!” She shouted, grabbing the gun from his hand, pointing it at his forehead.

“You don’t have the guts to pull the trigger.” He choked out, blood pooling in his mouth.

She glared at him before a shot rang out in the air, Rumlow going limp under her. She sat there, frozen, gun still pointed at his forehead as she realized what she’d just done.

The emergency exit door opened, Steve running in after taking the stairs all the way to the top. His eyes landed on the unconscious Bucky, worry surging through him. He turned around the side of the couch, seeing Kira sitting on top of a dead, Rumlow, gun pointed to his forehead with shaky hands, blood seeping through her shirt on her side.

“Kira.” He said cautiously, approaching her slowly. He could see her chest heaving as she breathed, eyes wide as she stared down at the bleeding Rumlow. “Kira, it’s me. Steve.” He placed his shield down, leaning it against the couch, before taking his helmet off. “Kira, put the gun down.” He said, approaching her slowly.

He reached out, grabbing her hands, gently prying the gun from her grip. She was shaking, the tears starting to fall as the shock wore off, her breathing turning into gasps. He took her hands in his, his sensitive ears picking up the other footsteps coming up the stairs.

“Kira, look at me.” He said, bending down to try and meet her gaze. “Kira.”

She finally turned, eyes red, tears still falling as she stared at him. Her lip was split and there was a bruise forming on her jaw. “I-I k-killed him!” She sobbed.

“I know.” He pressed a hand against her side, feeling the blood seep out of the bullet wound. “We need to get you stitched up before you bleed out.”

“What the hell happened here?”

He ignored Natasha’s comment as he lifted Kira up off Rumlow, tucking her against his chest. “She needs medical attention. Now.”

Kira clutched to Steve’s uniform as he followed Bruce into his lab. Natasha, Thor and Pietro following him as Clint, Wanda and Vision tended to Bucky, and Tony went to get FRIDAY back online. Steve laid Kira down on the exam table, making sure she was comfortable before taking a step back. Kira grabbed his hand, stopping him from moving away from her. Steve tightened his grip on her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. There were tears falling from her eyes still, and Steve raised his other hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

“It doesn’t look deep enough to have caused any internal damage.” Bruce said, putting gloves on, grabbing the equipment he needed.

“What the hell happened, sweetie?” Natasha asked, moving to stand behind her head.

“I’m going to apply an anesthetic so you won’t feel it when I go in to get the bullet out.” Bruce said, wiping the area around the bullet wound with an antiseptic cloth.

“No.” Kira said, causing all four men and one woman in the room to stare at her. “Just get it out. I’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure?”

Kira took a breath before nodding. “Yes.”

“Alright. If you would hold her down.” Bruce said to the other three men in the room.

Thor moved to her left side, taking her hand, placing the other on her shoulder, much like Steve was on the opposite side. Natasha moved down to her side, beside Steve, holding down her leg while Pietro held down her feet.

“Alright. I’m gonna go in with forceps, and try to be as quick as possible.” Bruce said, holding gauze below the wound to catch any blood.

Kira didn’t make a sound while Bruce dug the bullet out. Her body jerked just the slightest, her grip on Steve and Thor tightening, her pupils dilating in pain, her face scrunching a little, but not a sound came out. It made Steve angry. She’d been subjected to so much pain before, in a setting where she couldn’t make a sound, in fear her weakness would be mocked, used against her. It had been. Bucky had told him what she’d said. He knew she’d been subjected to more than just physical torture. And it hurt him inside, knowing she’d suffered so much, all for a messed up cause.

He was brought back from his daze as Kira relaxed, her grip on his hand loosening. He looked at her face, her eyes red from crying, but his gaze was drawn lower, to where her lip was previously split. The only trace was a thin line where the split had been. Steve reached over, running his fingers lightly over the thin scar. The bruise that had formed on her jaw was gone, leaving smooth, pale skin in its wake. Steve’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“Umm...” Bruce said, frowning at the bullet wound. He had turned around to grab the items to stitch up the hole, but instead was shocked by what he saw. “It’s stopped bleeding.”

All eyes turned to Kira who was staring up at the ceiling.

“I think there’s something being kept from us.” Pietro said, releasing her legs.

“Something rather important.” Steve followed up.

Kira swallowed the lump in her throat. She had some explaining to do.


	8. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finds out the truth

"Enhanced healing?”

“Super strength?”

“They were trying to create a perfect soldier after their last one failed them. They tested on me for years. I never knew what they were doing until I tried to fight off one of the guards one night. I kicked him in the chest and he went flying through the wall.” All six of her soulmates shifted in their seats at that statement.

Kira sat, her knees pulled to her chest, on one of the couches on the party deck, while the rec room was being cleaned. She was curled up in the corner, the Avengers spread out around her. She was terrified they were going to do something to her, now that they knew.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Tony asked, leaning forward in his seat.

“B-Because I was scared.” Her six soulmates felt a shift within themselves at her words. “I don’t want more tests run on me. I don’t want to be experimented on.”

“No one’s going to experiment on you. We all have our abilities and none of us get experimented on.” Natasha said, trying to calm Kira’s obvious nerves.

“We’re not HYDRA.” Bucky said, gaining Kira’s attention. “We’re not going to force you to do things that you don’t want to do.” He swallowed thickly. “We won’t even force you to stay here, if you don’t want to.”

Kira folded her arms over her knees, resting her forehead against them. She worried her lip, thinking about all of the possibilities. She knew HYDRA wasn’t completely gone. There were more of them out there still, and they’d find her eventually if she left. Not that she wanted to leave, but they did give her that option. But she knew she’d be safer with them. They could provide protection, safety, and the six people fate designed specifically for her. She heard movement around her, soft words being shared before the elevator dinged. Warmth appeared at her right side, bodies moving closer to her, surrounding her.

“Kira.” A warm hand touched her arm, nothing but comfort surrounding her. “We’re not mad at you. We could never be mad at you.”

“I don’t want to leave.” Her voice was muffled, but they heard her, each one of them breathing a sigh of relief.

“Then don’t. There’s others around you with super strength and healing. We can help you. And don’t feel bad about killing Rumlow. He had it coming.”

She looked up, her gaze meeting Bucky’s. “I thought you were dead. I just got so mad, and...” Her breath hitched as tears filled her eyes again.

“It’s okay. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more to protect you. I...I don’t know what he did to me...but it won’t happen again.”

“None of us will.” Natasha said, moving off the couch so she was kneeling on her left.

“We’ll keep you safe, Printesa.” Pietro said from his spot behind Bucky and Natasha.

“We all will.” Thor said.

Kira looked around at all six people, the serious looks on their faces betrayed by the loving look in their eyes. A small smile broke out on her face, causing the others to smile as well.

“Good.” Tony said, clapping his hands together. “Now that that’s settled, let’s get some food. How about Shawarma?”

The other five groaned while Kira frowned. “What’s Shawarma?”

“You’ve never had Shawarma?”

“I-I don’t think so.”

“Shawarma it is.” Tony said, heading off to the elevator.

* * *

 

_She was strapped down again, stuck in the chair she’d spent the last nine years in, getting tested on, tortured, even worse things had happened in that chair. The doctors were around her, machines beeping, muffled words floating around the room. She felt the familiar prick of a needle in her arm and she screamed, struggling, trying to break free from the chair as her muscles slowly stiffened, stilling all movement. She felt the tube being forced down her throat, air filling her lungs again after suffocating for a few moments. Her eyes were closed by the doctor, but her ears pick up the sounds of the doctors leaving, and the heavy footfalls making their way towards her._

_“Hey there, sweetheart.” Rough fingertips ran up her cheek before her eyelids were opened again, her eyes landing on Rumlow. “You miss me?”_

Kira shot up in bed, panting hard, sweat covering her skin. Now she knew why she didn’t want to sleep. After they had eaten, Kira finding out that she liked Shawarma, much to the team’s displeasure, they had coaxed her to go to bed. Steve and Bucky had been the last to leave, making sure she was comfortable before heading across the hall to their room. Kira had surprisingly fallen asleep, but unfortunately it hadn’t lasted long. If that’s what sleeping was like, she never wanted to do it again.

She tried to calm her heart rate, but every shadow, every small movement in the corner of her eye made her jump. Maybe she hadn’t killed Rumlow and he was hiding just beyond where she could see. Kira threw back the covers, rising on shaking legs before heading towards the door. It took her a moment to open it, scared she’d see something else on the other side, but she did it anyways, finding the hallway empty and quiet. She slipped out her door, making her way across the hall to Steve and Bucky’s room. She hesitated before raising a shaking fist, knocking twice.

She stood in the hallway, her arms wrapped around herself while she waited, almost ready to turn back around when no answer came. She thought about knocking again when the door opened, a half asleep Bucky standing in front of her. Bucky was in his boxers, hair disheveled as he took a moment to rub the sleep from his eyes before staring down at Kira, his eyes able to pick up the slight tremble in her limbs from the dim light of the hallway.

“What’s wrong, doll?” His voice was rough with sleep, and it made something stir inside her. Something foreign to her. “Why are you shaking?” He reached out, hesitating when she shied away a little from his hand.

“Buck?” He heard Steve’s voice from the bed.

“I-I had a nightmare.” Now she felt stupid for getting up and bothering them. She should have just stayed in bed and sucked it up.

“Hey.” He said, staring down softly at Kira. “It’s okay.” He opened the door wider, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “Come here.”

He guided her into the room, Steve sitting up on the bed, the lamp on the nightstand turning on. All three of them squinted from the intrusion before their eyes adjusted. Steve was in his boxers as well, his normally perfect hair was disheveled slightly.

“Hey, what’s going on?” He said, stretching his arms over his head. Kira couldn’t tear her eyes away from it, watching the muscle move under the skin.

“She had a nightmare.” Bucky said, steering her towards the bed.

“Come here, doll.” Steve said, scooting over slightly, lifting the blankets so she could slide under.

She stood there, staring at the bed with wide eyes for a moment.

“It’s okay. We won’t bite.” Steve said and Kira hesitantly crawled on the bed, moving so she was sitting next to Steve under the covers.

Bucky climbed in after her and she found herself sandwiched between the two soldiers. It was warm between them, and she felt strangely at ease there, almost forgetting her dream. But it came back to her, causing her to shiver slightly, both soldiers staring down at her.

“You don’t have to talk about it.” Bucky said, running his flesh hand over her hair.

“We won’t pry.” Steve said, wiping the few tears that had fallen from her cheeks. When had that happened? She wasn’t sure. “Try and get some more sleep.” He said, scooting down so his head was against the pillow. “We’re here in case you have another nightmare.”

“C’mon, doll.” Bucky said, pulling Kira down with him.

She was hesitant at first, not quite sure what to do until Steve wrapped an arm around her, pulling her onto her side so she was facing him. He felt his arm reach over her, pulling Bucky closer so his chest was to her back. His metal arm slid around her waist, making her shiver slightly from the cold seeping in through her thin t-shirt.

“It’s cold.” She said, scooting back against Bucky.

“You’ll get used to it.” Steve murmured, already half asleep.

“Night, doll.” Bucky murmured, slipping his flesh arm under Kira’s neck, his hand lacing in Steve’s hair.

Kira surprisingly fell asleep fast, sandwiched between the soldiers, something she decided she liked. Something she could get used to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story doesn't really change until it gets deeper in. But please, just be patient for the new changes.


	9. Surprising Behavior

Kira was hot. Almost too hot when she woke up. But she wasn’t going to complain. She had gone the rest of the night without a nightmare, or a disturbance. It was the first time she’d successfully slept in nine years, and she was sandwiched between two super soldiers who were incredibly warm and sound asleep. Bucky had his face buried in her hair, breath fanning over her neck while his metal arm was around her waist, tucked under her side. Steve had his arm below Bucky’s, his hand on Bucky’s side, his chin resting on her head. It was so intimate for someone she barely knew, but yet it felt so right. She could have stayed like that all day, except her stomach chose that moment to growl. Both soldiers shifted, Bucky’s arm tightened around her, Steve rolling slightly so he could stretch. She felt Bucky’s lips on her skin as he pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder before shifting up on his elbow so he was leaning over her.

“How did you sleep, doll?”

She stretched like a cat, a small moan leaving her lips as her muscles lengthened. “Really good.”

“Good.” Steve said, pressing a kiss to her other shoulder.

“I like this.” She said, looking between the two.

“What? Sleeping between us?” Bucky asked.

“You’re so warm.” She said, grabbing Steve’s arm and rolling over so she was facing Bucky, Steve spooned behind her. “And soft.” She said, tangling her hand in Bucky’s hair, pulling him down so they were nose to nose.

Both men sighed in contentment, holding her close until her stomach growled again, reminding them why they got up in the first place.

“We should get up. Get some breakfast.” Steve murmured, trying to get Kira’s hair out of his mouth.

“We have training today, huh.” Bucky said, his breath fanning over Kira’s face.

“Training?” Kira asked, her brow furrowed.

“Yeah. Gotta keep ourselves in shape.” Bucky said.

“You’re gonna spend the day with Tony.” Steve said. “I’m sure he’ll let you do whatever you want.”

“But we gotta get up first.” Bucky said, a smirk on his face. But none of them actually wanted to move.

It was when Kira’s stomach growled for a third time that Steve finally moved, untangling himself from Bucky and Kira. He slid out of bed, stretching his arms over his head, Bucky’s eyes on his back as he did so. He smirked to himself before padding over to the dresser, grabbing a white t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Bucky groaned slightly, untangling himself from Kira before following Steve’s lead, sliding out of bed. He moved over to the dresser, standing beside Steve. Steve moved his hand to the back of Bucky’s neck, pulling him in for a quick kiss. Kira rolled on her side, watching as they dressed, seeming to have a silent conversation between them. It was intriguing and a little bit intimidating.

“Don’t worry, doll.” Bucky said, moving to sit on the edge of the bed as he pulled his hair back. “The more intimate the relationship, the easier it is to communicate through the bond.”

“I-Intimate?” Kira, asked, sitting up and pulling her knees to her chest. There was a slight hint of fear in her eyes.

Both Steve and Bucky looked at each other. The first intimate encounters she’d ever had, had been with HYDRA. With piece of shit guards who took advantage of her. Both soldiers felt the rage build up within them. Neither of them knew how young it had started, and neither really cared to know. But they quickly calmed themselves, knowing getting angry in front of Kira wasn’t going t help anything. In the end, it would only make things worse.

“Don't worry, Angel. We won’t force you into anything you don’t want to do.” Steve said, smoothing her hair back in a calming gesture.

“None of us will.” Bucky said, running his thumb along her cheek before smoothing it down over her bottom lip. “Now why don’t we go get some breakfast, huh?”

Both Steve and Bucky offered her a hand, helping her off the bed. They made their way to the door, but stopped when something pulled on their hands.

“Wait.”

Both men turned around to look at Kira. She stared up at the soldiers towering over her, eyes wide, her bottom lip between her teeth. Her grip on their hands loosened hesitantly. Both soldiers swallowed thickly, looking away at each other before back at Kira.

“Will you...kiss me?” She asked quietly, almost a whisper.

“You want us to kiss you?” Bucky asked, eyebrows raised as he looked from Kira, to Steve, then back.

Kira chewed her lip for a moment. “Yeah. I-I’ve never been kissed before, and-”

Her words were cut off by Bucky’s lips, his metal hand cupping her jaw. She was stiff, taken slightly by surprise, but the kiss was sweet, nonetheless. Nothing more than a gentle peck, not wanting to push things too far too fast. His stubble tickled her a little as he pulled away, his hand moving from her face to make room for Steve. Steve’s hand moved behind her neck, much like he’d done to Bucky earlier before he repeated the action, pressing a chaste kiss against her lips. She’d loosened up a little, getting over the surprise brought on by Bucky’s kiss.

Her eyes were wide, mouth parted slightly as she stared at the wall between them. Slowly, a smile crawled on her lips, brightening up her face. Both soldiers smiled as well, feeling her happiness through the bond.

“Come on, dollface.” Bucky said, slinging an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go get some food.”

Kira bounded out of the elevator, making her way towards Tony who was standing at the counter in the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around his back, shoving him forwards slightly at impact.

“Hey, kiddo.” He said, putting his coffee down on the counter, looking away from his tablet. He turned around, Kira nuzzling into his chest. “You’re in a good mood.”

“I slept really good last night.” She murmured, voice muffled by his t-shirt.

“Well that’s good.” He said, running a hand down her hair.

He eyed Steve and Bucky as they passed, making for the fridge. He knew they had something to do with it. They were the closest to her in case something happened. And Tony knew something had happened. FRIDAY had alerted him to her raised heart rate, high body temperature. He’d almost gone to her himself, when he’d watched as she left  her room and headed over to Steve and Bucky’s. At least she was well cared for.

“So, kiddo, what do you want to do today?” He asked her when he’d finally peeled her away from him long enough to grab her a bowl of cereal before sitting her down at the table.

Steve and Bucky had left, going down to the gym to train with Clint and Natasha, something they were already late for, but given their new situation, it was hard to get mad at them for it.

“How’d she sleep last night?” Natasha asked Steve and Bucky as she placed all her practice knives back in her holsters.

“Decent. She had a nightmare, then ended up with us.” Steve said as he and Bucky stretched.

“She was out pretty quickly afterwards. Didn’t want to get out of bed this morning.”

“That’s good. At least she got some sleep.” Natasha said, grabbing a knife.

“And she was hungry too.” Bucky said, metal arm whirring as he stretched it over his head.

“Tony’s making sure she eats something.” Steve said, sighing as he stretched.

“Sounds like she’s adjusting well.” Nat said as she released her knife, hitting the target dead center.

“Surprisingly fast.” Bucky said, moving towards Nat with Steve.

“She asked us to kiss her this morning.” Steve said quietly, knowing Clint was listening in from his spot across the gym where he was shorting arrows.

Nat's eyebrows shot up, her eyes going wide. “What?”

“Yeah. It was totally out of the blue.” Bucky said.

“And you did it?” Nat asked, grabbing another knife.

“Yeah. She looked like she enjoyed it.”

“Huh.” Nat said, staring past the two soldiers for a second. “We’ll just have to see how this develops then.”

Kira took surprisingly well to the paparazzi. Tony hadn’t even thought about it when he’d offered to take Kira out and about. He’d taken her for lunch at his favorite deli, then out for ice cream, and then out to the Statue of Liberty. They hadn’t been swarmed, but he knew it would be all over the news. Even with a disguise, people still recognized him. It was only a matter of time. Thankfully none of her soulmarks were visible, but there would be speculation. He wanted to keep it as ambiguous as possible.

**TONY STARK DATING STRIPPER?**

That was not what he’d had in mind. TMZ of all tabloids had it posted before they even got back to the tower. Of course it was possible someone had recognized her and let it slip that she had been acting as a stripper. This was gonna be fun.

_“Billionaire Tony Stark was seen out today in the company of a well known stripper from the gentleman’s club The Office today, sources tell us.”_

There was a blurry picture of him and Kira leaving the deli, Kira’s face barely visible in the photo.

_“It is unknown whether the pair are a couple or not, but they were seen holding hands around the Statue of Liberty today.”_

Tony sighed, putting his tablet on the nightstand. Kira was thankfully immersed in whatever movie was playing on the TV. Toy Story...or at least that’s what it looked like to him. She was sitting towards the end of the bed, knees drawn up to her chest, shovelling popcorn into her mouth.

“You like it?” He asked, gaining her attention.

“I used to watch it all the time when I was younger. Reminds me of a more normal time.” She said, looking down sadly before shovelling more popcorn into her mouth.

Tony smiled before scooting up towards her, helping himself to the popcorn as well. He’d learned a lot about her in their outing, and he’d even told her a lot about him. It was refreshing, meeting someone who didn’t know everything about him already. It made him feel...almost normal. He looked over at her, his eyes drawn to the letters peeking out from under her shorts on her left thigh. He’d seen the ones on her collarbone, and the one on her forearm, but he hadn’t seen those before.

“Whose words are those?” He asked, refraining from reaching out and touching them.

She looked over at him, frowning slightly before following his gaze down to her leg. “Yours.” She said simply, straightening her leg out slightly.

“Can I see them?”

She straightened her leg completely, tugging her shorts up slightly so the words were revealed to him.

 _“So you’re the girl Capsicle keeps talking about.”_ Right there on her leg.

He made a bold move, reaching out to trace the words, her skin silky soft under his hand. “That must have made no sense to you.” He said, smiling softly.

“I tried not to put too much thought into it. I knew it would make sense to me someday. Where are mine?” She asked, tilting her head slightly.

Tony turned, peeling his shirt over his head. He felt her fingers tracing the black letters on his right shoulder.

_“And you’re Tony Stark.”_

He’d already known his soulmate would know who he was before his words appeared on his skin. His parents had been worried, but they thought maybe it would be for the best when he’d been born without his words. They’d died before he’d gotten them, just barely 24 and already running a company when they’d appeared on his shoulder one morning. He hadn’t noticed them until the girl he’d been with saw them and pointed them out, telling him they hadn’t been there last night. He wondered how long he’d had gone, had she not been there to point them out. They were vague and he didn’t try to cover them up. Many girls had hoped they’d be the one, but yet, here he was, 21 years later looking at her. When he’d pictured it back then, things had looked very different. But he wouldn’t change it for the world.

Kira frowned when he turned back around, her fingers immediately settling on the scar on his chest from where the arc reactor had been. He reached up, grabbing her hand in his.

“Different story, different time.” He said, glancing at the clock. It was late, and she had to be tired. It had been a long day.

“Can I ask you a question?” She asked before he could turn away.

“Of course. You can ask me anything.” He said, still holding her hand.

She let go of his hand, reaching up to cup his cheek, her thumb running over his chin. “What’s it like, kissing someone with a beard?”

That question had shocked him a little, and he had to take a moment to get his thoughts back in order. “Uh, well, I’ve heard it tickles. It can be a little rough, but mine’s not long enough to-”

His eyes went wide when he felt her lips on his. It was gentle, almost hesitant, her hand gripping his shoulder, ready to pull away if he wanted it. But he didn’t, his eyes closing, hand cupping the back of her head and he pulled her in closer to him, his head tilting slightly. He knew he was entering delicate territory, worried he’d scare her away if he moved too fast.

She pulled away, eyes still closed, hand still gripping his shoulder, mouth slightly parted. It was likely the most adorable thing he’d ever seen. A smile formed on her face, her eyes fluttering open.

“It does tickle.” She said, running her thumb over his chin again. “I like it.” She said before crawling up the bed to get under the covers.

Tony smiled, laughing to himself. She was a tease and she didn’t even realize it. He moved the popcorn to the TV stand before settling in beside her. She had her back to him, looking out at the glass windows that showed the city. He shut off the TV, turning off the lights before settling down behind her.

“It’s so beautiful.” She murmured, looking out at the lights.

Tony hummed his agreement, wrapping an arm around her waist. She relaxed, sinking back against him, her breathing evened out, already asleep. Tony smiled, resting his chin against her head as he too found himself falling asleep quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still slowly progressing guys. I'm using these chapters as sort of like a template for the rest of the story.


	10. Trouble On The Horizon

Tony had been awake for a while. His mind had been plagued with a nightmare, and thankfully he’d woken up before he disturbed Kira. She was still on her side, facing away from him, fast asleep when he’d woken up. He’d moved away from her, finding himself on his back, sprawled out on the opposite side of the bed. He’d taken the covers with him, only Kira’s feet covered, but she didn’t look like she minded. Tony covered her back up, just to make himself feel better before returning to his previous position.

He reached out, running his fingers over her back. She sighed, shifting slightly, but didn’t wake up. Tony looked back up at the ceiling, thinking about everything that had happened over the past few months. He’d created a homicidal robot, fought said robot to save the world, almost lost a few of his teammates in the process, gained a couple new ones, found out HYDRA had been hiding under their nose, and gained a soulmate in the process. It had been a rough few months, and hopefully things would calm down. At least long enough so they could get settled with Kira. She had already started to warm up to them, but they still had a long way to go.

Kira shifted, rolling on her side so she was facing Tony. She inhaled deeply, stretching slightly before she settled, her breathing evening out again. Tony studied her while she slept. She seemed so young, so innocent then, or at least more so than usual. She was young, and innocent, but her eyes never showed it. There was always something deeper, the hurt, the struggle, the unsure glint under everything. Tony scooted closer to her, wrapping his arm around her, pulling her into his chest. She snuggled into him unconsciously, her head tucking under his chin.

It was another two hours before Kira woke up, Tony staying awake for the entire time. Kira was comfortable, so he wasn’t about to move and wake her up. She shifted slightly in his arms, her body pressing closer to his as she stretched, before nuzzling back into his chest.

“Morning.” Tony murmured, rubbing her back gently.

“Morning.” She mumbled, still half asleep. “What time is it?” She asked with a yawn, stretching her arm over her head as he turned to look at the clock.

“7:30.” He said, smiling as she nuzzled back into his chest.

“S’to early.” She mumbled.

“I can guarantee we’re the only one’s still in bed.” Tony said.

Kira groaned in response, but refused to move. Tony would have gladly stayed in bed with her, but he knew there were things that needed to be done, and they needed to eat eventually. Well, at least he did. Bruce was still working on figuring out how HYDRA was able to keep her from needing nourishment and sleep, and how she still wasn’t showing signs of noticing she was hungry or tired, even though her body was. He’d watched her, the night before last when she’d nearly fallen out of her seat, then swayed on her feet as Steve and Bucky escorted her to her room. She hadn’t shown any signs of fatigue, nothing to even hint that she felt tired, aside from the obvious physical signs. Like now, her stomach was growling, but yet she didn’t show any signs of even noticing it. But he knew if he put a plate of food in front of her, she’d eat it all. Tony knew there was something else going on inside her, besides the enhanced healing and the super strength.

“Tony?”

He snapped out of his daze, Kira having rolled him over so she was hovering over him, her hands on his cheeks, staring down at him. Her head was tilted slightly, brow furrowed as she studied him, her eyes boring into his.

“You okay?” He asked, neither of them moving.

“I should be asking you that.” She countered.

“I’m okay. I just spaced out for a second.” He said, brushing the hair from her face.

“You do that a lot.”

“I know.” He said before pulling her down on his chest.

“I thought you wanted to get up.” She murmured.

“If I could, I’d lay here all day with you. But there are people wanting to see you, and I have things I need to do. You’ll be spending the day with Natasha, after she gets done training.” Tony looked back at the clock. “Which was five minutes ago. Let’s head downstairs, see what’s cooking for breakfast.”

Tony sat up, Kira still laying on his chest. He looked down at her, her eyes were closed, breaths even. He frowned, feeling her forehead, but she wasn’t any warmer than usual. She had said she couldn’t get sick, but she was sure acting like she was.

“Hey, kiddo.” He said, brushing her hair away from her face.

Kira groaned in response, shifting in his lap a little. He sighed, scooping her up in his arms before carrying her out to the elevator. She shifted in his arms when he stepped inside, leaning her chin on his shoulder.

“You can put me down now.” She murmured, voice slurred by sleep.

“You sure?” He asked, not quite sure she was even awake yet.

He felt her nod and hesitated for a moment before putting her down. She leaned against him, settling herself before she took a step away, gripping the railing in the elevator as it slowed to a stop.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah.” She said softly, rubbing her eyes. It didn’t convince him.

He walked behind her, watching as she stumbled over to the table, plopping down as she rubbed her eyes, yawning. He moved to the kitchen, standing near Natasha who was making oatmeal.

“Hey. I was beginning to think we wouldn’t be seeing you today.” She said as Tony grabbed a couple bowls.

Tony just shook his head, his mind working quickly to think of some reason that she’d be acting like she is. Natasha noticed the billionaire’s uncharacteristic silence, a worried frown forming on her face.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

Tony stepped closer to her, leaning in slightly. He glanced at Kira, who was sitting with her head in her hand, eyes half closed. “Keep an eye on her today.”

“That’s kind of the idea.” Natasha sassed.

Tony gave her a look. “Just...watch her. If she looks off, or something weird starts happening, bring her to the lab.”

“What’s going on?” Natasha asked, turning to eye their half asleep soulmate.

“I don’t know. She really didn’t want to wake up this morning.”

“Well, maybe she’s just not a morning person.” Natasha said, shrugging, turning back to take her oatmeal off the stove.

“Does that look like ‘not a morning person’ to you?” Tony asked, pointing over to Kira, who was probably asleep at the table. “She kept falling asleep during our conversation.”

“Well, maybe she doesn’t find you that interesting.”

Tony just glared at the archer. “Just keep an eye on her, Romanoff.”

“That’s the plan.” She said, scooping her oatmeal into a bowl as Tony left with his cereal and coffee.

Natasha grabbed Kira’s bowl, and hers before making her way over to the table. Kira was, in fact, asleep, head on her crossed arms, breathing slow and even. Natasha put down the bowls before sitting at the table next to her.

“Hey.” she said quietly, smoothing a hand over her hair. She jerked a little, inhaling sharply as she sat up, a yawn escaping her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“S’okay.” She murmured, rubbing her face.

“Here. Eat something. It’ll wake you up a little.” she said, pushing the cereal in front of her.

She stared down at the cereal for a moment before picking up the spoon.

“So what do you want to do today?” she asked after a few moments of silence. “We can do whatever you want, but we’re going out for lunch.”

Natasha took her out to, what she deemed as, the best tacos in New York. Kira had seemingly perked up when they left the tower, the shower Natasha had suggested helping as well. But she still looked tired. There were dark circles under her eyes, and they were hooded by her eyelids. If you didn’t look closely, you would have guessed she was high. And that worried Natasha. Mentally she was wide awake, not showing any signs of fatigue, but physically she looked exhausted. She was no stranger to sleep deprivation, but this was turning into something totally different. She shot a quick text to Tony while they waited for their tacos. Kira was looking at her, her head tilted a little.

“Tony. He’s being a worrywart.” she said, slipping her phone back in her pocket. “Or I should say, his normal self. He worries about you, kiddo. We all do.” It was a truer statement than she realized.


	11. Things Come To Light

Natasha wasn’t used to sleeping with someone. Sure she’d had her one night stands, and a partner or two, but with her standing with SHIELD, she was forced to leave most of that behind. After becoming an Avenger, she didn’t really have time to focus on that. Sure, she figured she’d start again eventually, she had to find her soulmate at some point, but it was dangerous to keep people close to her. She was in the same boat Clint was in with his soulmate. She had enemies, and she hated to see anyone get hurt because of her. So she had given Kira the option of sleeping in her own room, wanting to keep the relationship as platonic as possible. She knew it would get harder to resist it as their relationship grew. It was inevitable for soulmates, but she also knew this was a special case. The girl laying next to her had been through hell and back. She’d learned a lot about her during their time together, and she knew there was a lot more.  
Kira was laying on her side, her front to Nat's sides as she layed sprawled out on her back. Her fingers were tracing her arm, her head resting on her chest. She could feel her breath on her skin, her breathing even, so even she almost thought she was asleep.

“I like your hair color.” She said out of the blue.

“Really? That’s a new one. Most women like Thor’s or Wanda's.”

“Their’s are nice, but they’re not yours.” She said, lifting her head to face her.

It was silent between them for a while, so silent in fact Nat thought she was asleep. It wouldn’t surprise her, she was surprised she’d stayed awake this long. She’d slept through the movie she’d put on, but she couldn’t focus on it as she watched her sleep. She couldn’t lie, it worried her a little, and she knew Tony had informed the others of the dilemma at hand. There was something wrong with Kira. That would get their attention.

Kira shifted, whimpering slightly as she rolled on her back, one hand on her stomach, the other clenched in a fist at her side. Natasha turned her head to look at her, watching as a deep frown formed on her face. Her sharp eyes caught every little movement, every twitch her body made.

Natasha rolled on her side, leaning over her, putting a hand on her shoulder as she whimpered again. “Hey.” she said, gently shaking her. Her skin was warm under her hand. “You okay?”

“‘M fine.” She murmured, rolling on her side.

But she wasn’t. Nat could see her muscles tensing, her body trembling. She reached out, ignoring her flinch as she felt her forehead, her skin warmer than usual.

“No you’re not.” She said, jumping into action. “FRIDAY, tell Tony and Bruce to meet us in the lab. It’s an emergency.” she scooped Kira up into her arms.

“Right away, Ms. Romanoff.” The AI answered.

Natasha all but ran to the elevator, FRIDAY taking her down to the labs. Tony and Bruce beat her there, and it really wouldn’t have surprised her if they’d already been down there.

“What is it? What’s wrong? FRIDAY said it was an emergency...” He tapered off when he saw Kira in Nat’s arms.

“I don’t know what’s wrong. But she’s in pain, I know that much. And she’s burning up.”

“Bring her over here.” Bruce said, moving to the lab table. “When did it start?”

“Just a few minutes ago. I thought she was asleep, but she started whimpering and shaking, and now she’s feverish.”

“What’s going on? Is she okay?” Steve asked as he and Bucky stormed into the lab, worried looks on their faces.

“We don’t know yet.” Tony said from his spot beside Kira. But there was something in his eyes that said he did.

“She has a fever, muscle spasms. And she’s getting worse.” Bruce said, looking across to Tony.

“Do it.” Tony said, looking to Bruce.

“Do what?” Pietro asked, appearing in the lab.

“Tony, it hasn’t been-”

“Just do it. This may be our only shot here.”

“Hold on. What are you doing?” Steve asked.

Bruce looked to Tony before turning back to Steve. “We started developing a version of the serum HYDRA was injecting her with.”

“Why? Is that all she is to you?” Thor, who had arrived just seconds before said, pushing past Steve to get to Tony. “Is she just another experiment for you to test on?”

“No. We’re doing it to-” He was cut off when Kira shot up on the table, her hands going towards her throat as she gasped for air.

“Do it.” Tony said, holding Kira’s shoulders down. “Bruce, we don’t have much of a choice here.”

“What’s happening?” The five other people gathering around the table.

“Her lungs are constricting.” Bruce said, listening through a stethoscope.

He turned around, grabbing a syringe and a needle from the table behind him, taking the lid off a beaker before filling the syringe with the liquid inside.

“What is that?” Steve asked, eyeing the needle warily.

Neither Tony, nor Bruce said anything as Bruce injected the liquid into Kira’s arm. Her body shook for a few seconds before she went limp, her muscles tensing, body rigid. Bruce placed an oxygen mask over her face, pumping oxygen into her lungs for her. Her eyes were open, staring unblinking at the ceiling.

“What did you do to her?” Bucky asked, moving closer to her face.

Bruce sighed, looking to Tony briefly before turning back to the other five men in the room. “The serum HYDRA was injecting her with was keeping her alive.”

“How?” Steve asked, his face serious.

“She’s unstable. The abilities they gave her are killing her.”

“How is that possible?” Thor asked.

“They weren’t trying to achieve the super soldier serum. They tried that, and got the watered down version they gave to Bucky. This...this was something entirely new.”

“So what, they just made themselves an Enhanced?” Pietro asked.

“They tried to.” Bruce said.

“They tried to achieve what Strucker was able to, but without the help of an Infinity Stone.”

“Without the serum, the enhancements to her system slowly tear her apart from the inside. They break down her muscles, render her adrenal glands useless, slow her metabolism.  
That’s why she’s been so tired lately. I’m surprised she made it this long without the serum.”

“And the one you injected her with will help her?” Pietro asked.

Bruce looked to Tony. “We don’t know. We got to her too late to be able to tell everything that was in the serum-”

“But you got enough to start developing one of your own.” Nat said.

“Exactly. This was just the prototype. We weren’t sure if it would work or not, and so far, it has.”

“When will we know for sure.” Steve asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Not until we wake her up.”

“Wake her up?” Bucky asked, copying Steve.

“HYDRA kept her under for about ten hours. We got that much when we got her file from the base. It gave the serum enough time to work through her system and stabilize her powers. They’d never let her go this long without it, so we don’t know how long it will take before she’s completely stabilized.”

“And since this is a knockoff version of the serum, there’s a great big ‘if’ there.” Tony said.

“Why didn’t you do anything sooner?” Bucky asked, leaning against the table.

“These things take time. And with her limited knowledge on what HYDRA did to her, and HYDRA’s limited records on her, we’ve been playing by ear. Trying to make things up as we go along and get things right.” Tony said.

“You could have warned us, given us some kind of briefing about what was going on. That way we would have known what to look for.” Steve said.

“Would you honestly have let us test on her if you had known?” Bruce asked.

Steve didn’t say anything. They had a point. And no matter how dense and twisted Tony’s logic could be, he would at least keep Kira’s best interests at heart. There wasn’t any way he would let anything happen to her that would put her in danger.

“So what do we do now?” Pietro asked.

“We wait. The serum will wear off eventually, if we don’t wake her up first. I’m still trying to figure out how they did it, but I think I’m getting close.”

“I will return to Asgard.” Thor said, straightening up. “I will converse with our healers, find out if they know of a solution.”

“We’ll keep working here. The rest of you should go back to bed. Get some rest.”

Bruce knew those words were useless. The remaining five people weren’t going anywhere.


	12. Grounding

“You doing okay?” Steve asked Bucky as he handed the other man a cup of coffee.

They’d been up all night, Pietro and Natasha asleep in uncomfortable chairs, leaning against the lab table. Bucky hadn’t moved from Kira’s side. He’d closed her eyes, making it look like she was sleeping after Bruce had done a tracheostomy, making it easier for her to breathe.

“Just angry.” Bucky said, taking a sip of the coffee Steve had given him. “HYDRA’s ruined so many lives, done horrible things to unwilling people.” Bucky trailed off, his metal arm whirring as his fist clenched tightly. “She was ten years old, Steve.” He said, looking up at his partner. “She was a child when they did this...” He trailed off, a lump forming in his throat.

“I know, Buck.” Steve said, carding his fingers through Bucky’s hair. “I know. It’s not fair. But she’s here with us now. She’s safe. You’re safe. He took Bucky’s face in his hands, staring into those blue eyes he’d fallen in love with so long ago. “We can help her. We’ll figure it out.”

Bucky shifted in his seat. “She told me when HYDRA did this to her, made her like this, she was still aware.”

“Then she knows we’re helping her. She knows she’s in safe hands.” He took Bucky’s metal hand in his, holding on tightly. “She knows she’ll be okay.”

Steve and Bucky convinced Natasha and Pietro to go to bed, knowing neither would be happy if they woke up sore from sleeping at a weird angle. They promised FRIDAY would alert them of any developments. Bruce and Tony worked hard, trying to come up with something that would work, if only temporarily. They knew they couldn’t keep doing this to her. It would cause another scene, like when Tony had tried to figure out how Bucky’s arm worked. Bucky had complied to a point, but all it had taken was one bad day, and he’d nearly tore the tower apart until Wanda was able to get inside his head and knock him out. They didn’t need that happening again.

Pietro was the only one in the lab, apart from Bruce and Tony when Kira had jerked up into a sitting position on the lab table, choking as she pulled the breathing tube from her throat. She was breathing hard, staring down at her shaking hands. Words floated through her mind, muffled voices, someone shouting, gunshots. She had been playing, stacking the weights in the gym her daddy had built when she’d heard it. The door smashing open, boots pounding on the tile floors. Gunshots, an alarm blaring.

“Kira?” Pietro asked, reaching out hesitantly to slide his fingers across her cheek. She flinched, but didn’t move away, prompting him to cup her face. “Angel?”

“No!” She screamed, batting his hand away, leaping from the table before running out of the lab.

“Not again.” Tony said, having rushed into the room at her cry. “FRIDAY, lock her down.”

Pietro was out the door, intercepting her in a half a second as an alarm started blaring. He wrapped his arms around her, stopping her movements. Kira fought him, trying to get out of his arms before suddenly he was flying back, nearly hitting the lab doors. The wind was knocked out of him, pain erupting in his side every time he tried to inhale.

Kira shot towards the exit doors, trying to find a place to hide. If only she had grabbed something to defend herself with...She pushed on the exit doors with all her strength, but they didn’t budge. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get them open. She turned, looking for any other place she could hide, but it was fruitless until she settled on the window. It wasn’t that far. She’d done it many times. Almost gave her Momma a heart attack, but she didn’t have much of a choice now.

She took off running, breaking through the glass and she was falling. She was falling longer than she should have been. Much longer. Then something hit her and she was flying, an arm wrapped around her. They landed on a roof, the arm not letting her go. She struggled against him, hitting him as hard as she could, but it was no use.

“Kira!” Thunder boomed overhead and suddenly she was soaking wet from the rain. She blinked, her vision clearing, her mind clearing as the rain pelted against her skin. “Kira.” The voice said, softer this time. She looked up, meeting the soft blue eyes of Thor. His brow was furrowed as he stared down at her, his mind trying to come up with a reason as to why he had to just catch his soulmate as she fell through the air. “What happened?”

He didn’t get a verbal response, but he could see the whites of her eyes turning red as tears mixed with the rain pelting them. She shivered, goosebumps rising on her exposed skin as she curled into him for warmth. The rain slowed, before stopping completely, the storm clouds dissipating, bringing the sun out once more. He didn’t question her again, but only tightened his hold around her, swinging his hammer before flying to the tower, landing on the roof. He gave her a moment, knowing they were about to be bombarded the second they got inside. He didn’t need to ask if she was okay. She was stubborn, his little angel, but whatever had happened, had shaken her to the core.

He opened the hatch on the roof, half expecting to see his teammates standing there, but it was thankfully empty. He went down first, offering her a hand to help her down after him. She clutched his hand tightly as they made their way down the stairwell towards the labs. Thor had known that’s where she’d jumped from, and he assumed that’s where everyone had to be.

The emergency door was propped open and he could hear voices floating through. Kira stopped a few steps from the bottom, tugging on Thor’s arm. He turned back to face her, seeing the unease and fear in her face.

“Stay here.” He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll handle them.”

Kira sat on the stairs, listening as Thor lumbered into the lab.

“Where is she?”

“Is she okay?”

He was bombarded with questions, the other five of her soulmates jumping to their feet when they saw him.

“She is very far from okay.” He said, tightening his grip on Mjolnir. “I demand to know what happened.”

Everyone went silent, looking at each other.

“We don’t exactly know.” Bruce finally said from his spot at the back of the room.

“She was unconscious, immobile, then suddenly she wasn’t.” Pietro said, wincing as she stood, his hand on his ribs. “She looked terrified. Then she just screamed ‘no!’, got up and ran for it. I ran after her, but she packs one hell of a punch.”

“I had FRIDAY lock down the floor so she wouldn’t get out and hurt anyone else.”

“Then she just jumped for it.” Bucky said. “Steve and I saw her when she did it.”

“I was almost out the window when you showed up.” Tony said. “Did she say anything to you?”

“No.” Thor said, frowning.

“But she’s still terrified.” Wanda said, moving to stand beside her twin. “She thought what she was seeing was real.” All eyes were on her. “She thought she was 10 years old again, when HYDRA killed her parents.”

“So she was having a flashback.” Steve said.

“Having all of us here isn’t going to be good for her.” Bucky said. “If she’s still terrified, seeing all of us at once could trigger her again.”

“We need someone who knows what they’re doing.” Steve said, looking to Bucky. “I’m calling Sam.”

Thor had managed to coax Kira down to the lower levels of the tower, where Sam usually had his meetings with Bucky. She sat, curled up on the couch facing the door. She hadn’t said a word since the incident, retreating into a shell. She was worse off now than when they had first found her. And her soulmates knew it as well. Four of them were waiting outside the door, while Steve and Bucky escorted Sam inside, filling him in on what had happened.

“She jumped through the window?” Sam asked as they rounded the corner.

“Yeah. Thankfully Thor showed up to catch her.”

“I was ready by the time he showed up.” Tony said, leaning against the wall. “He’s not the only one here who can fly. Vision could have caught her just as easily.”

“But we don’t know why.” Natasha said.

“Well, we have an idea, but that’s about it.” Bucky said.

“So that’s why you called me.”

“You have the most experience with this, and you’re least likely to set her off again.”

“Alright. I’ll see what I can do. And after that, I’m talking to all of you about what you did wrong.” He said, waving a finger at all six men. “And my first order is to leave, go back to whatever you were doing, and I’ll come find you when I’m ready.”

The six of them left reluctantly, Sam waiting until they were out of sight before knocking gently on the door.

“Hey, Kira.” He said, entering the room slowly. “Do you remember me?” He asked, keeping his distance as she looked him over, nodding once before returning her gaze to the floor. Sam approached the chair across from her, opting out of the one closest to the door, knowing putting himself between her and the only exit could set her off again. “Do you mind if I sit?” She shook her head, looking at him from the corner of her eye. “How have you been?” He asked after he sat, keeping his posture relaxed and open. “They told me about what happened. Do you want to talk about what happened?”

It was silent between them for a few moments.

“I was scared.” She whispered, eyes glued to the door, half expecting it to be broken down again. “I-I didn’t want to, but they were coming for me.”

“Who was coming for you?”

“HYDRA.”

“Why were they coming for you?”

“I don’t know. I was just playing with the weights in the gym when they broke down the door.”

“You were playing with weights?”

“Yeah. I liked to stack them.”

“How heavy were they?”

“Some said 20, others said 50. I usually put those on the bottom then worked my way down to the smaller ones.” She said, shrugging like it was no big deal.

“And how old were you, when this happened?”

“Ten.”

Sam leaned back further in his seat. This was getting more and more complicated than they had all thought. “And what happened after?”

“They broke down the door. I could hear their boots running up the stairs. I wanted to hide somewhere, but there wasn’t anywhere to go. I tried to climb out the window. Momma always hated it when I did that. She was scared I would get hurt, but I never did. It was only three stories. I only got partway out when they kicked the door in. One of them grabbed me, pulled me back in. They dragged me out of the house. Momma and Daddy were dead. Bleeding on the white tile floor. Momma hated stains on her floor.” Kira trailed off, staring at the door.

“And that’s what you thought was happening?” Sam asked, bringing Kira’s attention back to him. “You thought HYDRA was coming after you, so you had to escape. That’s why you jumped out of the window. You thought it was only three stories.” Kira nodded. “Alright, here’s what I’m gonna do.” Sam said, leaning forward, bringing Kira’s eyes to him. “I’m gonna give you a few questions to ask yourself the next time you feel like this is gonna happen again, okay? Bucky does the same thing. We’re gonna practice right now, so I want you to answer the questions, okay?” Kira nodded. “Okay, where are you?”

“Avengers Tower.”

“What day is it?”

“Saturday.”

“What’s the date?”

“March 3rd.”

“What’s the year?”

“2016.”

“How old are you?”

“21.”

“Great.” Sam said, leaning back. “Those are called grounding questions. Next time you feel like you’re losing yourself, or you feel nervous or panicky, ask yourself those questions. They’ll help bring yourself back.” Kira nodded, seeming to relax a little. “Now, I’m gonna go find those soulmates of yours and have a talk with them. Why don’t you come up with me?”


	13. I Should Have Told You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She unveils her secret man.

 

“You did what?”

“I locked down the floor so she wouldn’t go rampaging through the tower and put everyone in danger.”

Sam shook his head. “That’s the last thing you should have done. I know caging an out-of-control animal may seem like a good idea, but it’s not. It only makes things worse. She was having a flashback. She didn’t even know she was in the tower. She thought she was in her house before HYDRA came and took her. She was looking for a place to hide, or escape. There are plenty of you here, you could have caught her before she got too far. Locking down the floor only made her panic more, so she went for the only option she saw, which was the window. She thought it was only a three storey drop. She told me she’d jumped from the window at her house before and when HYDRA attacked, that’s where she was headed. And grabbing a person with super strength when they’re out of their mind?” He said, turning to Pietro. “What was going through your head?”

“I was just trying to stop her from trying to get away.” He said, shrugging.

Sam sighed. “Next time don’t come running at her from out of nowhere. And don’t lock her in a confined space. Lock the doors that lead outside, but if she’s looking for a place to hide, let her find one. Approach her slowly and she’ll either recognize you, or she’ll see someone from her past. Talk to her. Ask her questions, like: where are you? What’s the date? What year is it? How old are you? Imagine if she would have been trapped in the elevator. She would have punched her way through the wall and possibly gotten hurt along the way.”

“But she wouldn’t remember she could do that, would she? If she was thinking she was ten again.” Bucky said.

Sam crossed his arms, leaning against a lab table. “HYDRA didn’t give her super strength.”

“What?” Tony asked, turning to face Sam.

“She told me, the day HYDRA took her and killed her parents, she was playing with weights in their gym. She liked to stack them, starting with 50, then moving down to the smaller weights. What ten year old girl likes to stack weights repeatedly for fun?”

“Well that changes things.” Tony said, leaning back against a lab table. “That really changes things.”

“Next time something like this happens, call me. I’ll walk you through what to do.”

“Or just let Steve and I handle it.” Bucky said, crossing his arms.

“I know you’re all anxious to get out there, but she’s still a little jumpy, so don’t move too fast.” He eyed Pietro. “Or overcrowd her. Take it easy, test the waters first.”

Sam didn’t need to say anymore before the six men were out the door, making their way down to the rec room where Kira was waiting. She seemed so small to them then, sitting in the middle of the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest. Sure, she was more than capable of handling herself, but they all knew how delicate she was on the inside. She’d been through hell and back and was still sitting there, staring wide-eyed at the six of them as they towered over her. No one moved for a while, twelve eyes on Kira, and two moving over the six Avengers standing in front of her.

Bucky was the first to move, taking a hesitant step forward, not missing how Kira’s eyes snapped to him as he did. He swallowed the lump in his throat, remembering all the times it had been him in this position, but they hadn’t been so nice to him. He wasn’t as breakable, he’d been through worse things than being held down while he fought against his restraints as the people who cared about him desperately tried to bring him back to himself. He knew what it was like to lose himself, to feel trapped inside, desperate enough to jump out of a window to escape the demons in his head. But he’d had Steve there next to him the whole time. Steve, who kept him sane. Kept him from jumping out of the window. But none of them had been there to stop her. Pietro had been alone in the struggle, barely able to take a single punch from her, when he or Steve could have taken more. And they would have healed already. But he knew Pietro would have taken several broken bones for Kira. They all would. But they hadn’t been there.

What if Thor hadn’t gotten there when he did? What if Tony hadn’t been quick enough? Even then, what if Vision hadn’t realized what was happening fast enough? The very thought made his insides churn, panic rising up in his throat. Sure she could heal, but would she survive a fall like that? Could she bring herself back from something like that? He didn’t want to find out. That was a question he could leave unanswered. Hell, he would have jumped for her had no one been there. Sure, it wouldn’t have done much good, but at least he would know he tried, and didn’t just leave his girl up to fate. She’d had enough of that lately. He just wanted her safe, and healthy, and he was sure the other five men standing behind him would agree with that. But he also knew it would be a while before that was a reality. The road to recovery was a long one. Even longer when they didn’t even know how to get her started on that. But he knew they would take as many preemptive measures to ensure this wouldn’t happen again. The thought of losing her after just barely finding her made him sick.

He felt Steve come up behind him, the warmth of his hand slipping into his own metal one. Even though he couldn’t feel the roughness of Steve’s battle scarred hands with the prosthetic limb, he was comforted by it. Hands that he’d felt all over his body, hands that he’d known since grade school when he’d first defended the skinny kid on the playground. It had been love at first sight, even if they didn’t know it yet. And now, 80 years later, and many of those spent apart, it didn’t feel any different. And he wanted his soulmate, their soulmate to know the same feeling.

“How are you doin’, doll?” He asked, taking another step forward when she relaxed slightly. “You had us all really worried for a while there.”

She didn’t say anything, just looked down at her feet, pulling imaginary lint off her socks. The six men looked at each other before they moved, Bucky and Steve taking one side, Thor and Pietro the other, Natasha sitting on the floor in front of her, while Tony sat on the coffee table.

“We’re not mad at you for what you did.” Bucky said. “We’ve all had our moments. Some of us still do. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I should have told you.” She said quietly, staring down at her hands.

“Should have told us what?” Tony asked, leaning forward slightly.

Kira shifted, reaching into her back pocket before pulling out a USB. She held it out towards Tony, but kept her gaze lowered. Her hand was trembling slightly, and she jerked it back once Tony had the USB in his hand. She inhaled shakily, closing her eyes. All six people felt something stir within them, all of them wanting to hold her and shower her in affection until she was smiling again. But they knew this wasn’t the time for that.

“What is this?” Tony asked, eyeing the USB.

“The truth.” Kira whispered. “What I should have told you from the beginning.”

“What truth?” Steve asked, leaning around Bucky so he could see Kira.

“Everything.” She just whispered, a stray tear sliding down her cheek. “My name’s not Kira Stevens.” 


	14. Unnecessary Precautions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team unveils all of Kira's secrets.

Bucky hated seeing his soulmate caged up like that. She hadn’t said a word since Hill had locked her in one of the interrogation rooms, handcuffing her to the table. They knew she could break the handcuffs easily, but she chose not to. She just stared at the blank walls, unmoving. Bucky had been watching the cameras for an hour. It had been one of the longest hours of his life. He wanted to go in and talk to her, find out what it was she was hiding, what the truth really was, but he couldn’t.

“Hey.” Steve said, stepping out of the elevator. “Tony’s cracked the USB. If you wanna come up, you can.”

“I hate this.” Bucky said, looking at the screens.

“I know, Buck. We all do. But until we know she can be trusted-”

“She’s been with us this long and she’s been nothing but trustworthy. She hasn’t tried to hurt any of us intentionally. She fought Rumlow because she thought I was dead. All we know is that she lied about her name. I don’t see why she has to be locked up like this. It’s not like she’s selling HYDRA our secrets. She willingly gave them up to us.”

“I know. But until we know for sure, we have to take all precautionary measures.” Steve said, cupping Bucky’s face. “Now let's go up there and find out what this is all about.”

Steve and Bucky rode the elevator up to the lab, stepping out to find everyone else there. Tony was reading something on his tablet, his brow furrowed.

“So as it turns out, our ‘Kira Stevens’ is actually Amanda Evans. Ran away at 6 until she was found by, guess who, SHIELD Agents Janelle and Cooper Stevens who took her in. After discovering her powers they kept her hidden away at a facility, where they studied her and kept her under the radar. Four years later, HYDRA comes knocking, kills the Stevens and everyone in the facility and takes Amanda/Kira with them, and eleven years later, the rest is history.”

“Any word on her birth family?” Clint asked.

“None.” Tony said, shaking his head. “It’s like they were just wiped off the slate, for whatever reason.”

“Obviously they had to be someone important for SHIELD just to wipe them off the slate.” Steve said.

“Unless SHIELD didn’t know about her. As far as I was aware, there was no record of a Amanda Evans or Kira Stevens in SHIELD’s database.” Maria said.

“Unless the Stevens were dealing under the table.” Natasha said. “You said they kept her under the radar. If SHIELD knew about her, they would have put her on the Index. Kept her under close monitoring. Maybe they didn’t want SHIELD to know about her.”

“But why?” Natasha asked.

“Maybe they knew.” Steve said. “The Stevens knew about HYDRA’s infiltration and kept her a secret, but HYDRA found out and came after her. The one thing they didn’t want happening, and they gave their lives to keep her hidden.”

“But what was so special about her, besides super strength?” Tony asked, turning back to the tablet in his hand.

The entire room was silent, everyone coming up with different ideas in their heads. Not knowing meant more testing, and after what they had just gone through, none of them thought it would be a good idea. It could set her off again, and they weren’t about to take a risk like that.

“She’s not working for HYDRA, There’s no imminent sign of danger. Why do we have to keep her locked up?” Bucky asked.

“Because until we know for sure what else she’s capable of, she is a danger to us.” Maria said.

“In the time she’s been here she’s shown no sign of aggressiveness, anger, any intent to hurt us.”

“There’s still protocols to be followed.”

“This isn’t SHIELD.”

“Why are you so adamant about letting her go free?”

Bucky jumped to his feet, slamming his hands down on the lab table in front of him, his metal hand denting the table. “Because I know what it’s like to be caged up and accused of things that I had no control over.”

Maria had her hand on her weapon, ready to stun the soldier if she needed, but Pietro quickly intervened. “He’s right. We have no reason to be keeping her down there. All she did was give us the name her adopted parents gave her. Yeah, sure she lied a little bit about her past, but who here hasn’t?”

Everyone was silent. The silver haired speedster had a point. The only thing she’d kept from them was her past, and it didn’t involve HYDRA that they could tell.

“She’s already in a troubled mental state. Keeping her locked up alone will only make it worse.” Wanda said. “We can help her to a point, but if she can’t trust us then there’s no point in trying.”

“We’re her soulmates. We’re supposed to protect her. Comfort her. If we lock her up every time something happens and we get a little twitchy then we’ll never be able to build trust. There won’t be a relationship between us.” Steve said, leaning on the lab table beside Bucky.

“We’ll be no better than HYDRA.” Thor said.

That struck a nerve between them. They hadn’t been treating her any better than HYDRA had over the past 24 hours. All of them felt guilty at that, wanting to make it up to her some way.

“Frosty has the best standing with her right now. I say he goes down to get her. She trusts him the most.” Tony said.

“I agree. The rest of us should wait until he talks to her, then we’ll figure things out.” Steve said.

Bucky nodded, staring down at the metal lab table before leaving the lab with a purposeful stride. The elevator took him down underground to the interrogation rooms, and he was surprised to see Kira hadn’t moved since he’d left. He took a deep breath, calming his anger and frustration, taking a moment to think about how to approach this, before opening the door. Kira turned to him when he walked in, looking away quickly after she saw it was him. There was a look of shame on her face, which he hated.

“So.” He said, standing across the room from her. “Amanda,” He caught the very noticeable flinch when he used that name. “Or Kira?”

“I left Amanda behind when I ran away.” She said, her fists clenched so tightly she was bending the handcuffs a little.

Bucky reached over with his metal hand, snapping the handcuffs, taking them off her wrists. “Then we won’t call you that.” He held his flesh hand out to her. “Now, come on. There’s some people looking forward to seeing you upstairs.”

Bucky and Kira rode the elevator up to the rec room where he knew the other five of her soulmates would be waiting. Kira looked nervous, maybe even a little sick standing next to him in the elevator. He turned towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“None of us are mad at you. It just took us a little bit by surprise. We weren’t thinking about how we reacted. Hill was just taking necessary precautions when she locked you down there. We all know you’re not a danger to us.”

Kira didn’t say anything, just cupped his scruffy cheek, leaning up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. Bucky was overwhelmed by her presence, her scent filling his nostrils, the very touch of her skin against his had his heart racing, her small body pressed up against his. He clenched his fist to keep control of his instincts, wanting to hold her and never let go. Feel her smooth skin, the soft curves of her body against his. They were so different. Kira was all small and soft. Steve was strong and hard muscle. Bucky couldn’t help himself as he turned his head, pressing a soft kiss to Kira’s lips. He knew he took her by surprise, her breath hitching, her body stilling as his lips touched hers. He stilled as well, letting her move first before he let the dominant soldier take over. He could pull that with Steve, but Kira was different. Kira was delicate. Kira moved her lips tentatively, her movements unsure. Bucky wrapped his arm around her, pulling her tighter against him as he guided her through the motions, her taste sweet on his lips.

He broke away when the elevator slowed, signalling their arrival. Bucky ran his thumb along her bottom lip for good measure, making sure she didn’t look like they’d just been making out in the elevator. He didn’t want to make anyone jealous.

Kira took his hand as they walked out of the elevator, the five pairs of eyes in the room landing on them as they made their way closer.

“So, Amanda.” Tony said, obviously not spotting the flinch.

Bucky frowned at the other man’s condescending tone. “It’s Kira.” He said, taking a step closer to her, putting her slightly behind him.

“I left Amanda behind when I ran away.” She said, frowning at the floor.

“Why did you run away?” Natasha asked, crossing his arms.

“My parents were evil. My whole family was evil.” She said, the frown still on her face as she shrunk back slightly, obviously reliving the past.

They wanted to know exactly what had happened, but they knew now was not the time. She’d tell them when she was ready. However long that took.


	15. Shadows of The Past

Thor hadn't been able to sleep that night. Kira had dozed off before the movie they had been watching downstairs had ended. He’d carried her up to his room, but she hadn’t shown any sign of waking. He’d tucked her into his bed before climbing in next to her. She’d snuggled right up to his warmth, her head resting on his chest. She was so small compared to him, granted most Midgardians were small compared to him, but she was different. There was something else, something that stirred within him whenever she was near. It made him want to strengthen the bond, be able to feel her like a soulmate should, but he knew he couldn’t. He wouldn’t ever force her to do anything. With everything they had guessed about her past...it made a protective urge rise inside of him like he’d never felt before. The storm brewed inside him, the thunder rumbling deep within him, the smell of rain filling his nose from the open window. Sure, it would seem strange to any place else, the random thunderstorms that developed over the city, dumping rain on what was supposed to be a clear, sunny day. But New York knew the god of thunder lived part-time in the city, so a random squall was something they had gotten used to. 

Thunder rumbled in the distance, lightning flashing overhead. Rain poured down, soaking the city, clearing his mind. Thor kept the storm far enough away that it wouldn’t risk waking her, though he doubted anything would wake her when she was asleep. She frowned, turning on her side away from him. She whimpered, tightening into a ball. Thor turned on his side, wrapping his arms around her, engulfing her in his embrace. He fell asleep as the storm quieted, Kira’s soft breathing relaxing him.

***

Kira was moving around when he woke again, shifting restlessly in his arms. Thor loosened his grip and she settled back down, tucking herself against his broad chest. Her breath was warm as it fanned against his skin, her fingers light as they traced patterns over his side, moving down towards his abs. He slid his hand up her arm, stilling her movements as her fingers slid lower. Her eyes flicked up to his, both of them still drowsy from sleep. They stared at each other for a while, neither of them moving.

Kira flattened her palm out on his stomach. His breath hitched, his abs flexing under her hand. His calloused fingers traced her arm, moving up to her shoulder, goosebumps forming on her skin. His fingers traced up her neck, his fingers sliding into her hair as she cupped the back of her head. He brought his forehead down to hers, their breath mingling.

“You do not know what your touch does to me.” He breathed, his nose brushing hers.

He finally leaned forward, breaking the gap as he pressed his lips to hers. It was soft, gentle, a little unsure. Everything he’d associate with her. He wasn’t sure how much experience she had, as far as romantic contact came. He’d been told what she’d endured under HYDRA by James with the other four of her soulmates. He knew he was stepping into dangerous waters, but she was driving him mad.

“I would love to continue this.” He said, pulling away from her. “But this is not the time. I do not want to push you.”

She grinned at him as he pushed her hair back with his fingers. She nuzzled into his hand as his fingers stroked her cheek, smoothing over her skin before tucking her into his chest. He would have loved to stay with her like that all day, but he knew they needed to get up, lest the others come to check on them and disturb them anyways.

“We need to get up.” She murmured, voicing his thoughts. “But I don’t want to.”

“I know.” He said, kissing the top of her head. “I could stay here for a lifetime.”

Thor and Kira met the others down in the kitchen for breakfast. Everyone was there, except for Clint, Bucky, and Steve.

“We’re missing a couple,” Bruce said, taking a seat across from Tony.

“Clint went to visit his soulmate last night,” Natasha said. “And Steve and Bucky are probably still in bed.”

“This late?” Thor asked, sitting next to Kira, helping himself to the scrambled eggs that were set out.

“Well, it’s a fairly natural thing that happens between human beings-”

“I don’t think you should continue that sentence,” Bruce said, eyeing Kira where she sat just two seats down from the billionaire, looking innocently naive to the whole situation.

“Maybe they just went to the gym early?” Pietro said before scooping cereal.

“Yeah, maybe to  _ blow  _ off some steam,” Tony said, making the rest of the room's occupants want to smack him in the head. All except for Kira, who seemed to be in her own little world, somewhere far off, oblivious to what was happening around her.

Wanda frowned at her, confused by what she saw going on in the girl’s mind. It was like images, flashing back and forth. There were three people. A woman, who’s stomach seemed to protrude more than her attitude, a man who had the most devilish look in his eyes, and a boy who was about twelve or thirteen who looked snotty.

_ “Little Amanda, I wasn’t aware that I had given you any breaks.” The woman said.  _

_ “I’m sorry M-Mother. It w-won’t h-happen again.” young Kira stuttered. _

_ “You’re right, it won’t.” The man said, coming towards Kira with a large metal rod.  _

_ The image changed to a house, flames engulfing it as windows shattered from the heat. The focus was on one window on the bottom floor that hadn’t shattered yet, until a small body came flying through it. She was covered in black soot, cuts littering her arms, fresh ones, and old ones. She clambered back to her feet, running from the burning house and into the surrounding woods, not looking back. _

 

Wanda gasped, coming back to herself, withdrawing from Kira’s mind. Vision was glancing at her worriedly. Wanda placed a hand on his, telling him she was alright. Kira was pushing her eggs around her plate, her mind still whirring. But from what Wanda had seen, she knew Kira’s problems ran deeper than anyone else realized.

 

Pietro and Kira stayed inside for the day, neither of them really wanting to do anything that involved being in public. For a guy who never seemed to slow down, he was very content sitting on the couch watching movies with Kira. Anytime she needed anything, he’d zip right over to the kitchen and be back in a half a second, like he’d never moved at all.

His sister had warned him of what she’d seen at breakfast, getting only a taste of what Kira’s past was like. He was starting to realize why she’d kept it from them. Just having to relive that little bit had to be horrible enough, much less having to relive all of it. He had so many questions, but he knew better than to ask them now. He didn’t want to risk upsetting her and triggering another episode, so he left it alone, reveling in her presence beside him. She’d tell him if she wanted to.

He wrapped his arm around her as he sped back with a glass of milk. She’d gone through two gallons in the few hours they’d been together. Even him, with his increased metabolism, didn’t consume as much as she did. When she wasn’t thinking about it, the girl could eat.

Kira cuddled up to his side, tucking her head under his chin, her hand resting on his chest. He tugged their blanket up around them further, cuddling closer to her, if that was possible. He wanted to be close to her, to offer her the most comfort possible. She didn’t know that he knew about what happened at breakfast, or that Wanda knew as well, or that it was possible that the other soulmates knew, though probably not Tony since he couldn’t keep something like that a secret. Everyone would know if he knew.

“Pietro?” Kira’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Yes,  _ Printesa _ ?”

She pulled away from him, turning to face him on the couch. “Will you tell me about Sokovia?”

So he did. He talked about his childhood, growing up with Wanda in Sokovia. The bombings, what happened afterward, volunteering for Strucker’s experiments. He told her everything, in hopes that maybe she’d come clean about her past as well.


	16. The Past Rears It's Ugly Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira tells the team her truth.

“I grew up in Kansas in a house in the middle of the woods with my parents and my older brothers Christian and James.”

“Christian hated James, well he hated both of us, but James the most because he was the only one our mother didn’t torture.”

“Torture?” Steve asked, his brow furrowing.

“She’d lock us in the closet for days, force us to sit in tubs of ice water outside in the dead of winter. She...she dumped boiling water over my head once...” Kira’s voice caught and she looked away from them, her eyes falling to the floor as she tried to fight back tears.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Bucky said, rubbing her back comfortingly, trying to hide his anger as much as possible.

All six of them were angry. Hell, everyone in the room was angry. She was only a child, having to go through all of this. They were so glad she was able to escape and got herself out of that situation. But hearing about it didn’t make it any easier even though it had happened so long ago. They were beginning to understand why she never told them about it.

“She’d hold us while our father took his anger out on us.” She said, still staring at the floor. “All except for James. James used to try to protect me. He’d take the hits Christian gave out for my sake. He was older, he always said he’d heal faster than I would. Then something happened. One day Christian got so sick of James he pushed him down a well and left him there to hurt our mother back. I ran and hid, thinking he’d push me in next. I couldn’t swim and I hid so long I think they forgot about me for a while.” Kira shrugged. “But a kid’s gotta eat. Christian pushed me so hard against the wall my head made a hole in the plaster.”

There was a surge of anger that flowed between the six of them that shared a bond with her, no matter how weak it was at that moment. The fact that anyone had dared to put a hand on their soulmate like that, let alone for her whole life was more than enough to make them all feel the same. And their bond together because of her only fanned the flames.

“I was barely conscious, trying to walk back to my room. Christian told James to push me down the stairs. At the last second, I grabbed him and both of us ended up falling. We both ended up in the hospital.”

“Didn’t the hospital ask questions?” Bruce asked.

“They did, but my parents were good liars. They told the doctor we were playing and things got a little rough, ‘you know how boys can get.’ James got shoved into me and we both fell down the stairs. They sent James off to military school not long after. It was either that or jail time. But that didn’t do much good. A couple years later James went AWOL and stole a car to drive back to Kansas. Christian and I were the only ones home that day. Christian was in the living room playing video games and he’d locked me in my room, but I broke the handle off. I was in the kitchen. I’d climbed on the counters to try and reach the cereal because I was hungry. Then two Molotov cocktails flew in the window, setting the house on fire. I got trapped in the kitchen. I thought I was going to die. I don’t know how or if Christian got out, but I ended up jumping through the kitchen window and I ran away.” She said, shrugging. “I never looked back. I ran through the woods, not knowing where I was going for three days. I was starving, dirty and tired. Then I stumbled on a campsite, and that’s where I found Janelle and Cooper Stevens. They offered me food and water and I told them everything. They asked if I wanted to go home with them, and I said yes. The rest is history. They changed my name, gave me more than I would have ever asked for. Sure, they ran tests, but it never seemed that way. They always distracted me, made it fun. Then, five years later, HYDRA came. They killed everyone and took me. What HYDRA did to me was nothing compared to what I went through when I was Amanda.”

It was silent in the room as everyone took in what they’d just heard. They’d known what she’d been through was bad, and just hearing what she’d kept from them, made it much worse. If they had known, they would have approached things much differently. But, surprisingly, she was taking it very well.

“Doll, look at me.” Bucky moved first, cupping her cheek with his flesh hand, using his thumb to wipe away some of her tears. “All of that happened in the past. We can’t change that, but we can sure as hell make sure it doesn’t happen in the future.”

“None of us would ever lay a hand on you intentionally, or otherwise,” Steve said from beside Bucky.

“And we’ll make sure no one else does,” Tony said, rubbing her back.

Kira tucked herself against Bucky’s chest, grabbing a fistful of Tony’s shirt to drag him close behind her. The other members of the team in the room took the hint, leaving the soulmates alone to get the comfort they needed. Natasha sank down on the floor by her feet, resting her head against her knee, Pietro and Thor joining her. Steve curled up against Bucky’s back, pleased that he could feel close to both of his soulmates. They’d both been through so much torture and pain. He needed to reassure himself they were really there with him. That they were okay.

Well, as okay as they could be.


	17. Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky finds himself in a compromising situation with Kira.

  1. **Control**



Bucky couldn’t sleep. Steve had been well fucked and was right out, almost before Bucky had gotten the sheets around him again. Bucky snuggled up to his side, running his metal hand down Steve’s spine. But sleep didn’t come so easily to him. He found himself on his back, his arm thrown over his head as he thought about the nightmare he’d had. Kira had been trapped in a burning house, unable to get out. She was screaming for him, for Steve, but he was being held back by HYDRA agents, forced to watch his soulmate die at their hands. No matter how hard he fought, they held him tighter, her screams ringing in his ears before it went silent. He had screamed then, falling to his knees, limp in HYDRA’s hands. The last thing he’d heard before he’d woken up was ‘wipe him.’

It had taken him a moment after he’d woken up to realize where he was. And telling Steve was the last thing he wanted to do. Steve was a worrywart, and it didn’t take much to set him off, get him worrying about nothing but a stupid nightmare his subconscious had created. So he had distracted Steve the best way he knew how. Indulging in something they hadn’t had much time for, or been in the mood for, in the past few days. And seeing Steve like that, America’s golden boy all ruined: on all fours, back arching, head thrown back, mouth wide open as he came all over the sheets as Bucky pounded into him, the sight alone bringing Bucky his release. Bucky had grabbed a rag, cleaning them both off before he’d tucked himself in, but had failed at finding sleep. So, he decided to try and fix the problem.

He pulled on a pair of sweatpants, ditching his briefs as he walked to the elevator, heading down to the kitchen. He’d contemplated checking in on Kira, seeing how she was doing, but decided not to, not wanting to disturb her if she was asleep.

He walked out of the elevator, surprised to see the TV on, a familiar figure curled up in the corner of the couch. He would have guessed she was asleep, had she not turned to him when he stepped off the elevator.

“Hey, doll.” He said, flipping a lamp on as he stepped over to her so he could see. She looked exhausted, her eyes tired as she stared at him. “Can’t sleep?” He asked, sitting next to her.

“Don’t want to.” She said, rubbing her eyes.

“Nightmare?” He asked. She nodded, tucking herself against his side. “Yeah, me too.” He was sure he smelled like sex, but she didn’t seem to notice or care as she snuggled up against him.

Neither of them said anything as they both sat there, staring blankly at the TV screen. Neither knew what was playing, their minds elsewhere. Bucky’s metal fingers traced imaginary patterns on the back of her arm, making her shiver and arch against him. He knew he was in trouble when he felt her breasts against his side through her thin tank top.

He wasn’t inexperienced with women. He and Steve had an act back in the 30’s. Back when their relationship was frowned upon and considered illegal, soulmates or not. Bucky had always been better with women, and so he played the ladies-man act. He’d been with a couple, but it was always imagining Steve under him that had him finishing. He didn’t even remember any of their names, but that didn’t matter to him. There was only one name he wanted to remember from back then. And that was Steve.

If it had been any other woman, it wouldn’t have caused such a rise within him. But it was his soulmate, and he couldn’t deny the growing need within him. It didn’t matter that he’d just spent a couple hours with Steve. They’d found with their new bodies, came new stamina. He didn’t have to worry about Steve’s asthma or breaking him like he used to. His Steve was strong. And he’d tested that not long after the Commandos was formed, in the middle of the wilderness in Germany on a snowy night in a tent while they tried to keep it as silent as possible, not wanting to give away their little secret.

But now they didn’t have to hide. They could be together in public, no matter how controversial it was. The press loved a good story, and Captain America coming out as gay with his best friend. That was a headliner for a long time. They’d even surpassed Stark trending on Twitter...whatever that meant. But it had riled the billionaire until the country got over themselves and they dropped off the radar for a while. He knew when word got out about their soulmate...the team’s soulmate...things would get ugly. Stark was working hard to keep that a secret for as long as possible, but without keeping Kira locked up in the tower.

“Bucky?” Kira’s voice brought him back from his musings.

“Hmm? Yeah, doll?”

She had turned, her knees pressed against his side, his metal hand resting on her back. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Just got lost in my head there for a moment.” He smiled down at her, his eyes tracing her face.

She caught him off guard, leaning forward to press her lips against his. He had to take a moment to clear his head, get back to himself before he responded, kissing her back. It was a little awkward, unsure, coming from someone who had little experience in that department. But that was okay. That’s what he was there for.

He cupped the back of her head, bringing her closer to him. He pulled away as she moved, settling herself in his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck. He leaned his forehead against hers, both of them breathing hard.

“You doin’ okay, doll?” He asked, sliding his hands up and down her back.

“Yeah.” She breathed before kissing him again.

He nipped at her bottom lip, using her surprised gasp to invade her mouth, seeking out her tongue with his own. She was unsure, but he guided her, teaching her as they moved together. He could feel himself growing hard as she shifted on his lap, cursing himself for going without underwear. Her hands splayed against his chest, anchoring her there against him.

She pulled away from him, lips swollen, breathing hard. Bucky ducked his head, pressing soft kisses to her jaw. She tilted her head, baring her neck to him. He dipped his head, nipping at her throat, a small moan leaving her lips. She arched against him, her hips grinding against his as he sucked on the side of her neck. His hands traveled up her back, under her shirt, the contrast between warm flesh and cold metal against her heated skin, unlike anything she’d felt before.

“Bucky.” She breathed as he nibbled on her collarbone.

He pulled away, sliding the strap of her tank top over her shoulder before his fingers traced the words on her skin right under her left collarbone, across her shoulder. ‘I know your face.’ He leaned down, pressing a kiss to the words, clutching her as a shudder ran through her, her back arching as her head fell back. Her chest was heaving right in front of his face, her body pressed tightly against his.

“Hold on.” He breathed, wrapping his arms tighter around her as he stood, wanting to go somewhere a little more private.

He carried her to the elevator, refusing to put her down until he got into her room, laying her down on the bed. She was still wrapped around him, holding him tightly as he leaned over her on his hands. And staring down at her he realized how innocent she looked in that moment. Wide eyes staring up at him. Regarding him as he hovered over her. It was then he remembered she’d never been in this position before. She’d never had free will to tell a man no, to stop him from taking her. And that thought made him separate himself from her. He was painfully hard and part of his mind was still clouded with lust, but he couldn’t bring himself to go further. It didn’t feel right. He didn’t want to do anything until she felt comfortable enough to do it, and if he went further, and she tried to stop him, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to.

“Doll, I’d love to take this further, but I don’t wanna hurt you. I don't wanna force you into anything you don’t wanna do. And I don’t know if I could stop. You don’t know what you do to us.”

“You don’t know what you’re doing to me.” She whispered, staring into his eyes.

He hadn’t thought of it that way. Just because they were feeling the need to bond with her, doesn’t mean she wasn’t feeling it as well. He wondered how far she’d gotten with the others if they shared the same view and he and Steve did. He figured most of them would. Most meaning everyone but Stark. But maybe Stark would surprise them all and keep himself in check. He knew Steve would take some time to convince. He was still just as shy as he was back in the 30’s. And Bucky felt far more comfortable around Kira than Steve did. Steve was always awkward when it came to dames. He just needed more time with her. That’s all. And he knew Natasha would take the longest. Stark’s morals were always looser than anyone else in the tower. Natasha would only be able to hold back for so long, though. She’d have to give in eventually. And Thor, he wasn’t sure what the god’s sex life was like. Sure he’d have to have done it at least once in his life. And Pietro...Pietro wouldn’t force her into anything. Sure he was cocky and could be a prick sometimes, but Bucky knew he cared for Kira just as much as everyone else. He would take good care of her. Bucky wondered what was stopping her, but the nervous thrum of her heart in his ears answered that.

He smiled down at her. “It’s okay. None of us are gonna be mad if you wanna wait. We want you to be comfortable. You’ve barely known us for a week. There’s no need to rush. We can wait for you.” God, he hoped so.


	18. Authors Note

Hello!   
I've missed being on this website and writing and I apologize for being so out of the loop. I haven't updated any of my stories on here or on any of my other writing platforms in a while. I'll be back! I promise.

Being only in 11th grade and getting ready for SATs and whatnot, I've been nose deep in studying and homework.

I've also been involved in more extra curricular activities than I used to be comfortable with. I've stepped out of comfort zone and joined Winter Guard, Choir, and made a bunch of new friends. I'm becoming a new version of who I want to be.

As I have also moved and we've been settling in for a week or so now, I'm trying to get back into writing but it is difficult without Wi-Fi connection for my computer. That issue should be fixed no later than Wednesday.

As soon as that happens, I plan to have a new chapter ready by no later than Friday.

Happy Holidays Everyone!!

Xoxo, teddygrahams


End file.
